Nigeria international Odion Ighalo has explained why he was not in the Watford squad that suffered a 3-1 loss to West Ham in the Premier League on Wednesday night.<br /><br />For the first time since March 14,2015, the Hornets number 24 was not included in his team&rsquo;s 18-man squad for a league game as manager Quique S&aacute;nchez Flores had one eye on Sunday&rsquo;s FA Cup clash against Crystal Palace at the Wembley Stadium.<br /><br />&ldquo;I was just resting because of the FA Cup semifinal on Sunday,&rdquo; Ighalo told <b>allnigeriasoccer.com</b> when asked why he did not feature in the game against the Hammers.<br /><br />He added : &ldquo;I am looking forward to the game(against Crystal Palace) the same way I look forward to every game but with special feelings.&rdquo;<br /><br />The 26-year-old has appeared 37 times for Watford across all competitions this term, scoring 16 goals.<br /><br />He netted against Arsenal in the sixth round of the FA Cup in March and was also on target against Nottingham Forest in the fourth round.<br /><br />Ifeanyi Emmanuel<br />