Manchester United starlet Chido Obi continues his impressive rise, earning a call-up to Denmark’s Under-21s this month and featuring in both friendlies.
After joining Manchester United from Arsenal last summer, Chido Obi started with the Under-18s before his strong performances secured a spot in the Under-21s.
His progress then caught Ruben Amorim’s eye, and with first-team injuries, he was given the chance to step up and make his first-team debut against Tottenham Hotspur.
Obi has since made three more senior appearances, debuting in the Premier League and FA Cup, though he remains ineligible for the Europa League.
Following on from his rise in club football, the 17-year-old striker was rewarded with his first-ever selection for Denmark’s Under-21s squad.
Obi receives huge Denmark boost
Obi played in friendly games against Poland and Italy U21s, with both clashes ending in draws. The United starlet came off the bench in the final 15 minutes against the Poles before receiving slightly more game-time in Cittadella.
Despite being several years younger than many of his teammates and opponents, Obi made a positive impression on Denmark U21s boss Steffen Højer.
Højer has explained that he has been “extremely happy” with how Obi has integrated into the squad and that he “fits in well”, which hints that the teenager may be remaining with the U21s squad rather than moving back down to the Under-18s.
“I think he will fit in well with the squad. We had talked about it a lot before, because he is five years younger than some of the players we have. He is a very young man. He was there to learn, and we had him there to watch him,” Højer told Tipsbladet.
“He makes a good impression, and I was extremely happy to see how he came into the squad and how the boys welcomed him. He has had a really good trip and has shown himself well. Now it’s home and work further at Manchester United and see if he can get a little more playing time there.”
While Obi did not score in either of his cameos from the bench, Højer suggested that the chances just didn’t come for him and that the United starlet did as much as he could in the minutes he was on the pitch.
“He comes in where there is relatively a lot of pressure,” the 51-year-old continued. “What you hope with someone like him is that he gets that one chance, because it is absolutely his core competency to be in the box and put the balls in the box. It didn’t come yesterday.
“But he came in and worked with the team in a difficult situation, so you couldn’t expect much else from him.”
Obi can still make United history
Obi will be returning to United this week and all of his attention will be back on impressing in a red shirt, with potential involvement in the Premier League.
The teenager will likely continue to be part of Amorim’s squad for the rest of the season and if Rasmus Højlund’s form does not dramatically improve, then he could also get some starts.
Federico Macheda (17 years, 07 months, 14 days) is currently the youngest goalscorer for the club in Premier League history, scoring an extraordinary debut winner against Aston Villa to help eventually secure the title.
Read More: Rasmus Højlund breaks silence on Denmark’s Nations League exit after Cristiano Ronaldo gets revenge
Obi, who only turned 17 in November, still has several months to net his first Premier League goal and etch his name into club history.
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