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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

Odion Ighalo to be involved for Man Utd at Chelsea despite coronavirus fears

Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo is available for selection for Monday evening's clash with Chelsea, as he will have completed an enforced 14-day spell away from the training ground.

Ighalo was a deadline-day loan signing from Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua and was initially left out of the Red Devils' warm-weather training camp in Spain over fears that border restrictions would not allow the 30-year-old back into the UK, should he leave.

But Mirror Sport on Wednesday that the former Nigeria forward was also banned from Carrington training ground over fears of a potential coronavirus risk.

Ighalo joined United on a six-month loan deal (Twitter)

It is now understood that Ighalo, who agreed to stay away from Carrington for two weeks after signing for United, will be in the squad for the Monday evening trip to Chelsea as the 14-day period expires this weekend.

The former Watford striker did not travel to the UK from Wuhan, where the virus which has now claimed over 1,100 lives originated, but the United hierarchy made the decision for him to train away from the AON Training Complex to minimise risk to players and staff.

Ighalo has been training at a taekwondo gym (Twitter)

Instead, Ighalo has been training with Manchester-based performance coach Wayne Richardson at the GB Taekwondo Centre in Manchester.

The striker scored 40 goals in 100 Watford appearances and his experience in the Premier League prompted the Red Devils to pursue him in the January window after an injury to Marcus Rashford.

Ighalo spent three years with Watford (Getty Images)

Rashford - United's top scorer this season with 19 goals - is out for up to two more months with a double stress fracture in the back sustained in January, which left the Old Trafford club with only Anthony Martial and teenage prospect Mason Greenwood as their striking options.

Ighalo, who scored 16 goals in 35 Nigeria appearances will bring much-needed cover and experience to the United attack and is likely to feature at Stamford Bridge.

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