I never thought I would play for United:Ighalo

Manchester United new signing  Ighalo said he "never imagined" that his childhood dream of playing for Manchester United would ever come true, despite the fact he has followed the club religiously throughout his professional career.

He said "When you say those kinds of things (about playing for United when he was a child), people say 'are you crazy?' because back then you don’t even know what the future holds," Ighalo told beIN Sports .

"First you just want to go outside the country to start playing – even for a small team, not even to talk of going to United.

"But my support for the team was great. I tried to see every game of United every weekend if possible. I still remember those memories.

"I never imagined it was going to turn out this way. Even when I played in the Premier League for Watford, I never thought this was going to happen."

When asked who he looked up to as a youngster when watching United enjoy the most successful period in their history, Ighalo responded: "I watched Andy Cole growing up.

"Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke, they were two strikers at United who used to score goals.