Controversial football pundit and Arsenal hero, Paul Merson reckons Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be facing the sack at Manchester United if the signing of Odion Ighalo fails to deliver the goods.
United’s desperate search to land a new centre forward on deadline day finally paid dividends with minutes to spare on Deadline Day when it was announced a deal for Ighalo had been reached.
The former England footballer/manager also said executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward could face the axe with the pressure on the two Red Devils bosses after a horrible campaign.
Writing in his column for the Daily Star, Merson said: “Odion Ighalo could be the final straw at Manchester United.
“If that signing is a disaster then Ed Woodward and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are in big trouble.
“Don’t get me wrong. He could rediscover the form he once he had at Watford and be a huge success. But he could be the biggest laughing stock the Premier League has ever seen.
“Only time will tell. But remember, the last time he was here he only scored once in 18 games before Watford sold him and he’ll have gotten lazy playing in China.”
He added: “I’ve heard people compare it with Henrik Larsson because nobody expected him to still be any good when United signed him either.
“But Larsson had been world-class. He had scored goals in major tournaments and won big trophies. And he still had his finishing and his movement.
“Ighalo doesn’t have any of that on his CV and he’s coming into a struggling team. The biggest one he’s ever played for.
“It’s a big ask, and if it all goes horribly wrong it will just pile more pressure on the manager because you’re always judged on your signings as well as your results.
Ighalo, who scored 36 goals in 90 League games for Watford before going to China, signed with Manchester United on loan from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua for the rest of the 2019/20 season.
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