Romelu Lukaku will be laughing at Manchester United’s late business in the January transfer window, reckons former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley. United agreed a deal to sign experienced Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo late on deadline day from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua. Former Watford man Ighalo has signed a loan deal until the end of the season at Old Trafford with no option to buy.
United did not replace Lukaku last summer when the Belgian departed for Inter Milan.
And Burley reckons he will be amused at United’s newest recruit, who was seemingly well down the list of targets at the beginning of the month.
“I saw [Ighalo] play quite a bit for Watford and he did a decent job for them, but this is Man United we’re talking about,” Burley said on ESPN FC.
“I get that they need to get a player in, however when you go from one of the best talents in European football in Erling Haaland, to Edinson Cavani one of the best talents of the last decade, to Josh King at Bournemouth and now to Ighalo playing in China, Romelu Lukaku must be sitting with his feet up in Milan, chuckling away like never before.
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“They’re in the FA Cup still, they’re in the Europa League still, they’ve got quite a bit to fight for as bad as they’ve been.
“Another point on this [no option to] buy thing, who gives a damn? He’s 30 years old, that goes against the grain of what they’re going to do anyway, so they aren’t buying him at the end of the year.
“But I go back to the point - it’s Man United we’re talking about.
“At what point did [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer, or anyone at that club, go ‘Right, get to China now and we need a player’.
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Man Utd transfer news: Odion Ighalo has joined United on loan for the remainder of the season (Image: GETTY)