Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ODION PLAYS IN MEMORY OF SIS
something was pointing in the wrong direction.
“But my picture is like, while I’m screaming and I’m realising that this really happened, I can see the crowd in the stand and looking at me and going like this... they are holding hands to their faces in horror.
“I can still see myself looking up into the corner of the main stand, and everyone looking at me with their hands on their faces, and taking their kids out of the picture (so they can’t see).”
The quick-thinking of Everton doctor John Hollingsworth helped Gomes make his incredible recovery. He could well return to Goodison against Manchester United tomorrow, for the first time since that incident, thanks to the medic’s swift action. For Gomes there is gratitude, and humour.
He says he knew something was wrong immediately when Son tackled him, but doesn’t know when the injuries occurred. “I knew straight away even before Aurier that something was wrong because I was already in pain.
“The thing is because I had two different injuries - ligaments on the inside and bone on the outside - I don’t know for real when it happened. I never tried to see the video.
“But the doctor was unbelievable. It was really important, actually. He was really fast. I knew he wanted to put the ankle back in place and I rejected the oxygen because with the adrenalin I was mad, I was angry.
“I wanted to be sure he was doing all the things properly, and actually he was unbelievable. He put my ankle in the right place. Obviously I did my ligaments and a bone injury. He put it in place two times, rotating it and then putting it in place. And yes it hurt.”
To get back, Gomes has put in some hard work in the gym, pool and training pitch.
And after returning as a substitute in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal, Gomes hopes to be involved again tomorrow.
“I won’t lie, there were really bad moments,” he said.
“So I just needed to accept it. I needed to embrace it, look forward and recover as fast as I can. That is what I have done.”
ODION IGHALO has promised to dedicate every goal he scores for Manchester United to the memory of his sister.
Ighalo, 30, joined United on loan on transfer deadline day from Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Shenhua.
And he got his first goal for the Reds in his first start as United beat Club Brugge 5-0 on Thursday in the Europa League.
Boyhood United fan Ighalo revealed a T-shirt in tribute to his sister Mary, who died in December aged 43, when he scored in the first half at Old Trafford.
He said: “I lost my sister in December. She was a Man Utd fan. We prayed for this moment to play for United. Unfortunately, she is not here to see me doing that. I promised I would dedicate every goal I scored.
“Wherever she is, she is happy that I’m doing that and she is doing great.”
Ighalo took a pay cut to join United in January after boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went into the market following Marcus Rashford’s (above) back injury.
“I dreamt of playing for United and scoring my first goal,” added Ighalo.
“I will cherish the fans singing my name at Old Trafford for the rest of my life.”