By Amosu Adeboye
Odion Ighalo has not travelled with his Manchester United team-mates to Spain for their warm-weather training camp in Marbella.
The Red Devils’ newest signing failed to make the trip to Spain as it is not guaranteed he would clear UK immigration on return, should border restrictions tighten on travellers who have been in China within the past 14 days.
Ighalo joined United on loan from Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua on Deadline Day.
United are travelling to Spain on Saturday for a warm-weather camp, but the Nigeria international will stay back in Manchester on a personal training and fitness programme.
A club statement said: “The club can also confirm that, due to the current situation in China, it has been decided that new signing Odion Ighalo will not travel to Spain as it is not guaranteed that he’d clear UK immigration on return should border restrictions tighten on travellers who’ve been in China within the past 14 days.””Odion will stay in Manchester on a personal training and fitness programme so that he will be ready to join in team training sessions when the squad return from the trip. This is simply a precautionary measure as the situation continues to be monitored.”
Manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer further added: Odion will stay in Manchester, because he arrived from China in the last 14 days.
”Because of the situation in China, we’re not sure if he’d be allowed back into England if he leaves the country again, so he’s staying here working with a personal coach, individual programme and his family then can settle in England as well. That’s a plus.
“Of course he might have liked to have come with the players and got to know them, but the risk [of potential border restrictions tightening], we don’t want to take that.”
