Ighalo to miss United training camp over coronavirus travel fears

Odion Ighalo will be unable to join his new Manchester United teammates at their training camp in Spain due to concerns relating to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Nigerian striker was a surprise 11th-hour loan switch from Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Shenhua in the January transfer window. Although he's been able to work at United's Carrington training base since his move, United are keen to avoid potentially prohibitive travel restrictions when they return from the Iberian peninsula.

"Odion will stay in Manchester because he arrived from China in the last 14 days," United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, according to Sam Carney of the club's official website. "Because of the situation in China, we're not sure if he'd be allowed back into England if he leaves the country again, so he's staying here working with a personal coach, individual program, and his family then can settle in England as well. That's a plus."

The coronavirus has claimed 722 lives in China and infections have risen past 34,000, according to The New York Times.

"Of course he might have liked to have come with the players and got to know them, but the risk (of potential border restrictions tightening), we don't want to take that," Solskjaer added, according to Carney.

Long-term injury concerns Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford will also miss the warm-weather training camp while they work on their respective rehabilitations. Backup goalkeeper Lee Grant will be another absentee after picking up an issue that requires an operation.

Scott McTominay and Axel Tuanzebe have been declared fit enough to join the trip.