Chido Obi-Martin sends clear message to Erik ten Hag after Manchester United U18s hat-trick in first start

Chido Obi-Martin has sent a clear message to Erik ten Hag after he grabbed a hat-trick in his full Manchester United under-18s debut.

Manchester United‘s new academy starlet Chido Obi-Martin played his first game for the club’s under-18s last week in a dramatic 4-3 comeback win against Sunderland.

However, that appearance came from the bench, so this weekend provided the 16-year-old with the chance to start his first game against Nottingham Forest‘s youth.

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It took the highly-rated teenager just 12 seconds to introduce himself to the game as he pounced on a defensive error to score his first goal for United.

Three and a half minutes later, Obi-Martin doubled his tally after the ball fell to him on the edge of the box. His low-driven shot was too fierce for the goalkeeper, and within four minutes, he had a brace.

That simply wasn’t good enough for the new signing, who had clearly been very keen to get back on the pitch after a long summer.

In the 14th minute, Obi-Martin scored his and United’s third and it was the best of the lot. He swept home a low cross expertly with his weak foot to secure a tremendous hat-trick.

The striker was replaced at half-time but you would imagine he would have grabbed a few more in a league where he has already proven to be one of the most deadly finishers around.

United would go onto score one more, with the other goals coming from James Scanlon, Amir Ibragimov, and a fantastic free-kick from Tim Thwaites in the second half to seal the tie with a 6-0 victory for United’s young Reds.

Obi-Martin’s message to Ten Hag

It is just his first start for the club but Obi-Martin has already shown that he is above the under-18s level despite being just 16 years of age.

He grabbed 32 goals in the south division last term and is now ready for Under-21s football, which could provide first-team training opportunities sooner than expected.

The way in which the striker shrugged the defender off before Amir Ibragimov’s goal displayed the physicality he possesses over his peers and now it will be interesting to see how he deals with older opposition.

Erik ten Hag would have been keeping a close eye on the new Academy addition anyway, but Obi-Martin is making sure that the first-team management are aware that he is beyond the under-18s level now.

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