Chido Obi’s 22-word message after Manchester United heroics speaks volumes about young star

Chido Obi has been promoted to the Manchester United first-team in recent weeks after a terrific start to life in the club’s youth teams.

Manchester United secured the signing of Chido Obi at the beginning of the season after the young striker refused to sign a professional contract at Arsenal.

The 17-year-old striker wanted to move to Old Trafford, where he believed his pathway to the first-team would be improved after seeing the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo shining.

Obi started playing for United’s Under-18s initially but quickly showcased that he was ready for the step up to the next level – he netted a 13-minute hat-trick on his Under-18s debut.

He had been impressing for the Under-21s side, while also playing for the Under-18s in the prestigious FA Youth Cup, before a surprising promotion to the first-team.

Ruben Amorim’s men are light up front due to the January exits of Marcus Rashford and Antony, as well as the season-ending injury to Amad.

Obi made his debut earlier this month, coming off the bench in the closing stages of a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. He then played around 20 minutes against Everton at Goodison Park.

The teenager would have been hoping to make his first appearance at Old Trafford on Wednesday night but Patrick Dorgu’s red card meant that Amorim decided against bringing him on.

Obi has been United’s FA Youth Cup hero

Obi is likely going to continue to get chances for the United first-team but that also puts his involvement in the FA Youth Cup in the air.

The striker has already scored seven goals in the competition for Adam Lawrence’s side – braces against Coventry and Preston, and a hat-trick against Chelsea.

Next up for the young Reds comes an away trip to the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal in the quarter-finals and Obi would certainly love to play in that game.

However, it remains to be seen whether Amorim allows the youngster to be involved in the Friday night kick-off when United play against Fulham in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Obi’s desire to score goals is obvious

No matter what team Obi is with, he will be hoping to score goals. As any young striker should be, he is obsessed with putting the ball into the back of the net.

Sometimes in the youth games we have seen him be slightly more selfish, which is to be expected, but he has also showcased his ability to hold the ball up and link play in recent months.

“I love to score goals and I love to help the team win in this big competition,” the 17-year-old starlet told club media after his hat-trick against Chelsea. “So yeah, it’s really good.”

Read More: Unseen Manchester United Academy star puts in “wonderful” performance vs Wolves, replacing Chido Obi

Obi became the third-youngest appearance-maker for United in the Premier League era earlier this month and he has just under four months to make further history and become the club’s youngest goalscorer in that time.

His involvement is likely to continue heading into the back-end of the season and there’s no doubting that he will be hunting that achievement.

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