Odion Ighalo admitted his first Manchester United goal was tinged with sadness The striker paid tribute to his late sister Mary, who passed away in December Ighalo celebrated by lifting his jersey to show a T-shirt with a photo of Mary on it

                                                                                           Odion Ighalo savoured his first goal for Manchester United but admitted it was tinged with sadness because his late sister Mary was not alive to see him score it.

The Nigerian striker made his first start against Club Brugge in the Europa League on Thursday night since joining United on loan until the end of the season from Shanghai Shenhua, and marked the occasion by scoring the second goal in a 5-0 win at Old Trafford.

Ighalo, 30, celebrated by pulling up his jersey to reveal a T-shirt with a tribute to his sister who passed away in December. The boyhood United fan said: 'She is a Man United fan. We prayed for this moment to play for United, and unfortunately she is not here to see me doing that.

'I promised I would dedicate every goal I scored (to her). I'm happy that I did that and wherever she is, she is happy that I'm doing that and she is doing great.

'This is what I dreamt of. I dreamt of playing for United and scoring my first goal. I'm very happy for that. It feels great. Old Trafford, hearing the fans singing my name, screaming for me. I'm very grateful. I waited for this moment and it's a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.

'I'm happy because I know a lot of United supporters are waiting for this moment to get my first goal. I've not seen my phone yet, but I know messages have been coming in so I want to thank everyone that supported me. They see me as one of their own because I supported United from a young age and I want to give my best to do whatever it takes to move forward.

'They appreciate that and I appreciated them from the first day I stepped on the field in Manchester. They have been behind me and I hope it continues like that. I promise them I will give my best – win, lose, I don't care about the circumstances.'

Ighalo joined United on the last day of the January transfer window in a surprise loan deal. Because he had arrived from China, he couldn't travel to the club's warm-weather training camp in Marbella or even train at Carrington due to the coronavirus alert.

But the 30-year-old former Watford striker believes he is slowly regaining full fitness after working with a personal trainer in Manchester.