Fifty players to miss Premier League restart over safety concerns and Odion Ighalo wants to stay at Manchester United

Odion Ighalo wants to stay at Manchester United, and Raheem Sterling is offered a huge deal by Puma.

 

50 players may miss out on PL restart 

Around 50 players are expected to miss the restart of the Premier League, according to the Mirror. The paper reports that two or three players from each club may miss the games as they are concerned about their own vulnerability, or have family members who are at risk of complications from the disease. Sergio Aguero has already openly expressed his concerns. 

***: If a player doubts the ability of their club to keep them safe, then it benefits nobody to force them back to work. The country came close to being overwhelmed once, and there is every chance it could be in the second wave. It would be understandable, especially for those with vulnerable family members, were unwilling to take the risk with coronavirus.

Ighalo wants to extend United stay 

Manchester United’s on-loan striker Odion Ighalo wants to extend his loan period with the club, says the Sun. The 30-year-old Nigerian striker is set to return to China at the end of May, but he wants to stay on at least until the season is completed. However, his side Shanghai Shenhua want him back in action for them as soon as possible. 

***: Ighalo’s four goals in eight games had shown that United were missing a striker willing to work hard, and it compensated for the absence of Marcus Rashford after his back injury. Rashford is likely ready to return soon, but with the compressed schedule for the restart, it would be handy to keep Ighalo on until the season is completed, or Champions League football is secured.

Sterling deal causes tension

The Daily Mail reports that Raheem Sterling has an offer of £100 million on the table from German sports kit manufacturer Puma. His current sponsorship deal is set to end with Nike, freeing him up for a new deal. The offer from Puma has caused tensions at the company though, who have taken government cash and furloughed employees due to coronavirus.