Gary Neville slams Manchester United regarding Ighalo loan deal

Former Manchester United skipper and club legend Gary Neville has hit out at Manchester United's transfer policy after the club scrambled to loan Odion Ighalo from Shanghai Shenhua on the Transfer Deadline Day. 

The 30-year-old has arrived at Old Trafford as an emergency cover for crocked in-form forward Marcus Rashford. 

But Neville, now working as a football pundit, believes that while the Nigerian may do a decent job for Red Devils, the deal itself highlights the deficiencies of their recruitment strategy. 

The 44-year-old told Sky Sports: "They just needed a body in that area. Rashford's going to be out for another couple of months. 

"I can't let the club off the hook though, unfortunately. Romelu Lukaku told us a couple of weeks ago that he had said he was going to leave last February or March. 

"That's nine months to be able to manoeuvre and get into a position to sign a striker for the club for the long-term. And yet they have ended up desperately doing one on Deadline Day. 

"The boy may do very well. He might come in and settle in, he might score goals and do a job for the club. 

"But the fact that the club were in that position, knowing that Sanchez and Lukaku were leaving for many, many months, tells us that Manchester United, at this moment in time, are struggling to navigate through the transfer market smartly." 

The Red Devils could only manage to draw a 0-0 stalemate against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday with Bruno Fernandes making his debut for the club. 

And, after the game, the club legend could not hide his frustrations. 

He said, "You can go back to Falcao, Di Maria, other players, Depay was young at the time, but players they've signed in forward areas on the pitch haven't been good enough. 

"You look at what Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham have done, and compare it to what Manchester United have done. If the recruitment is wrong you ultimately end up paying for it. 

"The gameplan today was fine from United. If you were playing with Messi, Suarez and Neymar up front you'd probably play the same way against Wolves. 

"You'd control the game and wait for that moment and one of your front three would go and deliver for you. United don't have that front three at the moment who can go and provide that moment of magic. 

"They've signed Ighalo - maybe he can give a bit more presence in terms of putting crosses into the box. 

"The fact is, United were chasing a goal at 0-0 and they've had to bring on Jesse Lingard and Diogo Dalot, that tells you exactly where Manchester United are at. 

"The big problem with recruitment is I'm not quite sure who is in charge over the last seven or eight years. Who is behind the scenes spotting the players, making sure they are ahead of the game?" 
 

Featured Image Credits - The Daily Mail