Ighalo, top scorer with five goals at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, got injured in the Eagles third-place win over Tunisia after scoring the only goal on July 17.
He was introduced as a 55th minute substitute in Shenhua’s 3-0 loss to Tianjin Teda in a Chinese Super League game.
The striker featured nine times for Shenhua before the AFCON, scoring seven goals in the process.
The 30-year-old announced his retirement from the national team after the AFCON.