Goal readers have had their say on whether the former Nigeria international remains valuable for any English top-flight side
Odion Ighalo still has something to offer a Premier League club, according to the majority of voters on Goal.
After completing his loan move to Manchester United – the 32-year-old joined Al Shabab on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
In his debut campaign at King Fahd Stadium, he scored nine goals in 13 appearances to tie with Portugal’s Fabio Martins.
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To cap it all, Ighalo was named Al Shabab Player of the Month for May.
Thanks to his notable performances in Saudi Arabia, Goal asked if the former Granada and Watford man still has anything to offer in the English elite division.
In a poll conducted on the Goal Africa Twitter handle, 67.8 percent of voters strongly agree that the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations highest goalscorer still has the spark that made him shine at Watford.
With this, it will not be surprising to see any England top-flight side looking towards his direction before the commencement of the 2021-22 season.
On the other hand, 32.2% feel his time in the Premier League is over and as such would not have anything to contribute.
Ighalo’s recent form has seen fans clamour for his return to Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles.
Nonetheless, former England international of Nigerian descent John Fashanu disagreed with the idea of his return.
“Experience in football counts but we don’t want to do anything to upset the young boys or make them a little bit depressed,” Fashanu told the Punch.
“The only thing Ighalo has to offer to the national team is his experience, it is not his ability because there are players who are far better than him and we know that.
“If Rohr wants to bring him in because he stabilizes the squad, it is fine. I remember when I was in my 30s and the manager kept bringing me back, it wasn’t because I was a great player but I gave the team confidence. And that might also be the reason why Rohr wants to bring him back but other than that his time is gone.
“Ighalo is in his 30s and in Nigeria we have fantastic prospects that are fighting to get that spot but not all of them can make the squad.
“If you keep playing the older players it is at the detriment of the younger players. It is high time we start seeing 17, 18-year-old geniuses in the national team.”