Odion Ighalo says he hopes to see out the remainder of the Premier League season with Manchester United, but doesn't know if that will be possible.

The former Nigeria international forward is on loan at Old Trafford from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua that is set to expire on May 31.

The loan was set to take the 31-year-old Ighalo to the end of the Premier League season, but the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced a pause in Premier League operations on March 12 with the league now hoping to play out the rest of the season beginning in June.

"I would like to finish the season if it's possible," Ighalo said to the BBC. "I was in good form, good shape, scoring goals and now we've stopped now for over a month. I've given it my best and hopefully we'll come back to play. The team had a good momentum before the pandemic started. At the moment I'm on loan, and this will cut short my time at the club."

Ighalo, who previously played in the Premier League with Watford, starred in his short time at Old Trafford. In eight matches with the Red Devils, Ighalo had four goals in eight appearances across all competitions, including a highlight-reel strike against LASK in the Europa League.

While he'd like to finish the season, Ighalo says safety is his top priority right now.

"The club, myself, every footballer is going through a lot because we can't do what we love and what we know how to do best, so we're just thinking about that for now and to finish the season before we start thinking about the contract," Ighalo said. "I just want everyone to be safe and see what the future holds."

With nine matches remaining, United was fifth in the table, three points adrift of Chelsea for the final Champions League place. United was also still active in two other competitions, claiming the away leg of its Europa League Round of 16 tie with LASK 5-0 and set for a date with Norwich City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

It is understood that United hopes to retain Ighalo's services past the expiration of his current loan.