Former Manchester United striker Andy Ritchie has had his say on new Red Devils signing Odion Ighalo, who completed a shock loan move to Old Trafford on transfer deadline day.Ritchie thinks the Shanghai Greenland Shenhua loanee will be a success at Manchester United because he's a lifelong fan who will fight for the badge.Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was desperate to sign a striker in the January transfer window as a result of the injury suffered by Marcus Rashford.Speaking to Love Sport Radio, Ritchie said : "We needed someone desperately, obviously Marcus Rashford is out for a while. We need somebody to give other people a rest. He wanted to play for Manchester United, that for me he's going to work his boots off every single time he puts that shirt on and goes on to that pitch for Manchester United."That is what we need in the football club and I just hope that it works out for him because he's such a Manchester United fan that he's going to fight for that badge".In his first spell in England with Watford, Manchester United's new number 25, Ighalo scored 39 goals in 99 games across all competitions.

Super Eagles players are expected to arrive in Nigeria on Monday (today) ahead of their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Benin Republic in Uyo.Samuel Kalu and Kenneth Omerou arrived on Sunday.Nigeria opens its campaign for a place in Cameroon 2021 by welcoming the Squirrels of Benin Republic to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Wednesday.After the Benin clash, the team will fly to Maseru on Friday for the Day Two clash against the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Maseru-Setsoto Stadium on Sunday.Nigeria welcomes back skipper Ahmed Musa from injury, with defenders Omeruo, Abdullahi Shehu and Bryan Idowu, as well as midfielder Mikel Agu.France-based utility player Kalu also returns after missing the prestige friendly against Brazil.Goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi is called for the first time since the 2019 AFCON in Egypt – first choice Francis Uzoho is out for several months after his horrific injury against Brazil.Senegalese official Issa Sy has been appointed by CAF for the qualifying match between Nigeria and Benin Republic in Uyo.Sy will be assisted by compatriots Nouha Bangoura (assistant referee one), El Hadji Abdoul Aziz Gueye (assistant referee two) and Fatou Thioune (fourth official)

Joshua King’s goal on the stroke of half-time gave Bournemouth their first win since September and brought Manchester United’s three-match winning run to a halt.United made a positive start after going four unbeaten but their new-found belief seemed to evaporate in driving rain and swirling wind on the south coast.The hosts gradually got a foothold in the game and former United trainee King struck moments before the break to claim Bournemouth’s first goal in nearly six hours.

Marcus Rashford’s sensational brace was all Man United needed to send Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round of the tournament played at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, October 30.Chelsea, who had a shaky start to the season came into the match in fine form, winning seven games on the bounce in all competitions.United on the other hand have had a mixed run of results, with injuries rocking the side since their 4-0 win over the Blues in their season opener.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named a strong side for this particular clash, making four changes to the team that beat Norwich on Sunday.Sergio Romero, Brandon Williams, Marcos Rojo and Jesse Lingard were all drawn in as David de Gea, Ashley Young, Andreas Pereira and Anthony Martial dropped out.Daniel James, who has been impressive for United was central to the visitor’s opening goal as he drove into the area to win a penalty that Marcus Rashford stepped up to convert in the 25th minute.Callum Hudson-Odoi nearly drew Chelsea level at the restart of the second half, but could not get a good connection as his shot went narrowly wide.The home side would lodge a penalty appeal soon moments later, with fans believing Marcos Rojo had handled the ball in the dangerous area. However, match officials brushed off the protests, with Michy Batshuayi restoring parity in the 61st minute with a superb solo effort.Aware of Chelsea’s threat, Solskjaer was forced into a double substitution introducing Anthony Martial and Andreas Pereira in place of Lingard and Lindelof. The change paid off as the pair made an instant impact as United won a foul 35 yards out after Fred was brought down.Rashford once again stepped up to take the shot, with the England striker rifling in a net-buster that flew into the top corner to make it 2-1. The Old Trafford side eventually managed to hold on to claim a vital win that earned them a place in the last eight of the competition.

President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded the performance of the Golden Eaglets in their second game at the ongoing Under 17 FIFA World Cup competition in Brazil.The Nigeria team defeated Ecuador 3-2 after they had trailed by 1-2, fifteen minutes to the end of the match.A statement made available by Femi Adesina, the President’s Spokesman quoted him as saying that “The fact that the youngsters never gave up, and turned the table against their opponents, is a lesson in persistence and resilience.“Buhari recommends the can-do spirit displayed by the young boys to Nigerians, urging them to display such in all areas of endeavour, and in national development.”While wishing the Eaglets well in their final group match against Australia, which may well be a formality, “President Buhari pledges government support to the team, as they strive to win the Under 17 World Cup yet again, thus confirming Nigeria’s position as a global power at that level.”

THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) may have finally settled for the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital to hold the first leg qualifying match between the Super Eagles and their Beninese counterparts on November 13.Sources close to the NFF’s Glass House in Abuja had last week revealed that the Stephen n Keshi Stadium in Asaba was highly favoured to host the match ahead of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin and Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.But the situation of things got clearer regarding the match venue after invitations were reportedly sent out to the respective state Football Association chairmen and secretaries notifying them of the impending NFF congress slated for the same November 13 in Uyo.“That means Asaba is no longer in the picture with the latest information,” said a source.The congress is expected to hold at 9 am, according to the source, after which members would head for the stadium to watch the match.The choice of Uyo if its stands would be a welcomed development to the players who were not rightly disposed to the condition of the pitch playing in Asaba.

Paul Pogba will remain sidelined until December, Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted Sunday.The 26-year-old French World Cup winner has not played for the club since September 30 due to an ankle injury and was missing again as United won 3-1 win at Norwich, their first Premier League away win of the season.“I don’t think we’ll see him maybe before December,” said Solskjaer.“He’ll be out for a while. He needs time to fully, fully recover, so don’t think he’ll be back… maybe Sheffield United (on November 24) after the international break but probably December before you can see him.”

Fresh reports and data have confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo apparently earns more from Instagram than he does from playing soccer for Juventus.The 34-year-old pockets an annual $47.8 million from paid Instagram posts, according to a study by social media firm Hopper HQ on Buzz Bingo. In contrast, his salary at Juventus is reportedly $34 million, according to Goal.com.Ronaldo’s reported income from Instagram makes him the platform’s highest earner, ahead of Lionel Messi and Kylie Jenner.Receiving a reported average of $975,000 per advertised post, Ronaldo’s Instagram earnings far eclipse the world’s biggest celebrities, including Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Emily Ratajkowski.He also beats footballing rival Lionel Messi, who is said to have earned less than half of Ronaldo’s total with $23.3 million.Amongst the brands Ronaldo has represented on Instagram are Clear Haircare, Nike Football, and Six Pad Europe.“Ronaldo is the most followed human on Instagram (with 186 million followers) so companies are paying almost $1 million for posts to access his insane reach.Due to his status as a celebrity and football star, his earnings from Instagram break away from typical influencer partnerships, as many of his promotional posts will be part of wider sponsorship deals, such as Nike.You only need to go on his Instagram to see how many paid partnerships he does outside of the sports market” Hopper HQ marketing executive Nicola Cronin told Business Insider.

The Super Eagles have been rated second youngest national team in the World according to statistics revealed by Transfermarket.The Eagles average age is placed at 24.1, a statistics only bettered by Mexico, whose team averages 23.5..The Eagles have Maduka Okoye, Samuel Chukwueze, Francis Uzoho, and Victor Osimhen, who are all 20 years of age among other players who are in their early 20s. England occupies the third spot with an average age of 25.0. Other countries that completed the top 10 are USA (25.2), Wales (25.3), Tunisia (25.5), Germany (25.6), Brazil (25.7), Argentina (26.0) and Italy (26.1).

Nigerian football, Ahmed Musa celebrates his 27th birthday on Monday, October 14.The top Nigerian forward also shared a new photo of himself to mark his special day.According to record, Ahmed Musa was born on the 14th of October 1992 in Jos, Plateau state and he plays a forward and left winger for the Nigerian national team and for Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr.Ahmed Musa is the first Nigerian player to score more than once in a Fifa world cup match.Happy Birthday Ahmed Musa.