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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matt Maltby

Odion Ighalo trains in a public park as Man Utd striker prepares for Premier League return

Odion Ighalo is ensuring he's in tip-top shape for the return of the Premier League as he was seen training in a Cheshire Park on Monday.

The Manchester United star was pictured maintaining his fitness levels at a time when the Government announced that the top-flight could return behind closed doors as early as June 1.

Ighalo donned United training gear, including his No.25 shorts, as he took part in various training drills seemingly set out by his club.

The striker even took time out of his regime to sign an autograph for a fan, while abiding by the strict social distancing rules.

Manchester United’s Odion Ighalo trained in a public park in Cheshire on Monday (Eamonn and James Clarke)

Top-level sport in England could restart behind closed doors from June 1 but spectators may not be able to attend venues until a vaccine is found.

The Government's road map for exiting the lockdown imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus was published on Monday afternoon, setting out the conditions under which various activities can be safely carried out.

Step two of the road map, which cannot begin any earlier than June 1, includes "permitting cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed-doors for broadcast, while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact".

The striker even took time out of his regime so sign an autograph for a fan (Eamonn and James Clarke)

Meanwhile, Neville has warned Manchester United against signing Odion Ighalo for £20million.

The Nigerian forward has impressed in his brief time at Old Trafford since joining the club on loan in January, but his deal expires next month.

United were hopeful of extending that date further to allow for the delay in completing the Premier League season due to coronavirus.

Indeed, the Red Devils were also weighing up signing Ighalo on a permanent basis this summer after being pleased with his impact.

Ighalo was seen playing around with a dog as he took part in a private training session (Eamonn and James Clarke)

That could prove to be the only way of keeping the 30-year-old at the club, with Shanghai Shenhua holding out for a £20million transfer fee.

However, during an appearance on Instagram Live, Neville reckons United would be making a mistake if they sign Ighalo for the touted valuation.

"Is ighalo worth £20m?" said Neville.

"Probably not in this market. He may have been if he continued before scoring goals but you probably don’t need now to spend £20m."

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