The Ecuadorian had words of encouragement for
the January loan signing and also described what
being given a squad number at Old Trafford meant
to him Antonio Valencia has sent a message to Odion Ighalo following the news that the Manchester United loan signing has taken the No.25 shirt he used to wear at the club. In what was a surprise deadline-day move, United decided to bring in the Shanghai Shenhua forward
on a temporary deal until the end of the 2019-20
season. An injury to Marcus Rashford, plus a failure to
replace Romelu Lukaku following his summer
switch to Inter, has left the Red Devils particularly short in attack, leading to a January hunt for a
forward player. MORE TEAMS United had been in talks to land Erling Haaland from
Red Bull Salzburg, although the Norwegian teenager ultimately opted
to join Dortmund, where he's scored eight goals in
his first four matches for the Bundesliga side. With no new arrival secured as deadline-day
arrived, however, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side opted
to go for Ighalo, having been linked with the likes
of Danny Ings, Teemu Pukki and Islam Slimani.
Antonio Valencia✔@anto_v25 I always saw the number 25 as an
opportunity to work beyond my dreams. It
has been my inspiration and became my
amulet. I wish you all the success now with
this shirt brother!
Despite raising eyebrows over their decision to
bring in the former Watford striker, Solskjaer has expressed his belief that Ighalo will prove a useful
addition and that he'll "give everything" to help the
Red Devils. And Valencia, who spent 10 years at Old Trafford,
winning two Premier League titles and the FA Cup among other honours, has wished Ighalo luck at
his new club, with the Ecuadorian the previous
incumbent of the No.25 shirt. He Tweeted: "I always saw the number 25 as an
opportunity to work beyond my dreams. It has
been my inspiration and became my amulet. I wish
you all the success now with this shirt brother!" United now have over a week of rest as they take
advantage of the Premier League's staggered
winter break that will not see them return to action
until February 17, when they face Chelsea. That match could go a long way to deciding who
will finish in the final Champions League spot, with Frank Lampard's side currently fourth but
displaying a lack of consistency, with United having
the chance to cut the gap to three points. The Red Devils have been inconsistent themselves,
however, having already drawn eight and lost
eight in the league thus far this season - the latest
failure to claim all three points coming in Saturday's
0-0 draw with Wolves.