Manchester United extend Ighalo's loan deal until January

Odion Ighalo is staying at Manchester United after all.

The Red Devils have reached an agreement with Ighalo's parent club, Shanghai Shenhua, to extend the player's loan deal until Jan. 31, the club announced Monday.

United will also have the option to sign Ighalo on a permanent basis, according to The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.

The 30-year-old's future was up in the air before the breakthrough in talks, with reports last week indicating the Chinese club had rejected United's offer to keep Ighalo for the rest of the season and beyond.

Ighalo's initial loan deal expired Sunday, but he'll now be available for selection when the Premier League season resumes June 17.

The striker joined United, his childhood club, on the final day of the January transfer window. Despite widespread reservations over the move, Ighalo hit the ground running, scoring four goals in eight appearances.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer leaned on Ighalo heavily after star forward Marcus Rashford went down with a back injury. Rashford has been out of action since January, but the academy graduate has been training at United's Carrington base in anticipation of the season's return.