Man United will not stress me this season — Odion Ighalo

Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has adopted a relaxed approach to supporting his boyhood club, declaring he will not allow the team to "stress" him following their 1-0 derby defeat to Manchester City.

The 37-year-old forward made his stance known while responding to Instagram football content creator "Teetalks United," who posted a video expressing her exasperation over the performance at Old Trafford on Sunday, September 13.

Ighalo directly replied to the creator's video, urging her to relax  The Nigeria international jokingly advised her to eat food, adding that he had already eaten and was maintaining his composure on matters regarding the club. 

"Nobody will stress me this season," Ighalo commented, indicating his refusal to let the club's on-pitch struggles affect his personal well-being.

The stance comes from a deeply invested supporter who realised a lifelong dream by joining Manchester United on loan from Shanghai Shenhua in January 2020, where he scored five goals across 23 appearances before departing in January 2021.

Ighalo's comments followed an underwhelming performance from Michael Carrick's side during the 199th Manchester derby.

Manchester United played against 10 men for the majority of the match after Manchester City forward Phil Foden received a straight red card in the 23rd minute for kicking out at United captain Bruno Fernandes.

Despite holding a numerical advantage for nearly 70 minutes, the Red Devils looked largely unthreatening in attack and failed to break down a resilient City defensive block.

The visitors ultimately secured all three points despite their numerical disadvantage under Enzo Maresca.

Erling Haaland steered a 60th-minute finish past United goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to seal the 1-0 victory following a controversial offside sequence involving Enzo Fernández.

The result marked a backward step for United, who had previously secured a 2-0 home derby win against an 11-man Manchester City side under Carrick in January 2026.