…as Akinola shines in US
ANDREW EKEJIUBA
Ex-Super Eagles and Everton ace striker, Daniel Amokachi, has given kudos to Manchester United striker, Odion Ighalo and urged fans of the Red Devils to temper expectations from the Nigerian following his limited playing time at the club.
Ighalo has scored whenever he started in the United line up in cup competitions, notching up five goals in each of his four starts in the Europa League and FA Cup to equal the feat of Manchester United legend, Jimmy Hanson in 1925.
“Manchester United brought in Odion Ighalo from Shanghai Shenhua as a back up to then injured Marco Rashford. Now, Rashford is back from injury and so Ighalo has to take a back seat again,” Amokachi told Brila FM on Wednesday.
“Our brother Odion was not loaned from Shanghai Shenhua as a starter at Man United but he has scored in the matches he started so Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may even decide that he has done well and deserves to have an extended time there you never know.
“We cannot expect him to have more playing time than the likes of Rashford and Anthony Martial because he is only a back-up there.”
The Nigerian’s extended loan deal expires on January 31, 2021.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Toronto FC striker, Ayo Akinola, has been named to the latest Major League Soccer (MLS) Team of the Week, following the conclusion of the Round 1 of group games.
The United States U-20 international of Nigerian parentage netted his first career brace as a professional as Toronto and DC United shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
In the 12th minute, he took his chance to perfection as he unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from just outside the area to open the scoring, and doubled his team’s advantage just before half-time, blasting the ball into the net from close range after another assist from Alejandro Pozuelo.
Akinola earned rave reviews for his two goals and Major League Soccer took notice by naming him as the starting center forward in its Team of the Week.
The youngster has been approached by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to switch his international allegiance to the Super Eagles after contacting his mom during the 2017 U-17 World Cup in India and he has admitted that he is open to playing for any country so long as he is not cap-tied to his country of birth, United States.
Akinola has totaled 12 appearances in the American top-flight since making his debut against Minnesota United in July 2018.