Denmark’s U21 boss, Lars Knudsen, has sent a message to Rúben Amorim regarding Chido Obi, given Manchester United’s limited games this season.
Manchester United signed Chido Obi from Arsenal toward the back end of 2024, with the 16-year-old widely regarded as one of the best young strikers in world football.
After a few months in the club’s Academy, including scoring a hat-trick in his first start for the U18s, Obi made his debut under Rúben Amorim in mid-February, and totalled eight appearances for the Reds, including seven in the Premier League.
Obi’s 6’3″ frame has him standing well above many of his peers in terms of physical presence at his age group, although there has been recognition that he needs to improve his stature to compete with senior players.
Alongside the likes of Sekou Kone, Diego Leon, and Enzo Kana-Biyik, Obi is part of United’s strong core of young talent developing for the future.
Denmark U21s coach hoping for playing time
Obi’s talent is well known across Europe, and the 17-year-old recently played for Denmark’s U21s squad across the summer.
However, Denmark U21 head coach Lars Knudsen has admitted he hopes Obi is able to play significant minutes this season to aid his development, although he also conceded that he has no say in the matter.
“I can’t stand here and say anything about that, because it’s somewhere else than with me,” Knudsen said, as quoted by Bold.
“It’s just a hope we have for the national teams, because we know that playing time is crucial.
“This is both for performance, but also for these young people in terms of developing themselves. Of course, we hope that he will get somewhere where he can play.”
Obi’s senior minutes could be limited at United
Despite making seven appearances for United in the Premier League last season, it looks as if Obi may not be able to gain too many minutes in Amorim’s first team. With new signing Benjamin Šeško now the first-choice striker, and Joshua Zirkzee acting as his deputy, Obi’s minutes look limited.
There is another issue, too – United are not playing many games this season due to their lack of European football.
However, speaking on Sunday afternoon, Amorim addressed the lack of European fixtures this season, explaining that he feels all his current players just need to fight for their places in the team to secure playing time.
“It’s a normal thing that happens in other clubs,” Amorim said on the lack of European football. “I think we were not prepared to play Europe; that is my feeling, to have strong games in the Champions League and then play Premier League.
“We need time to develop as a team. So, they just need to fight for the places, and then everything can change.
“Sometimes one is playing, in other moments, other guys are going to play, and we have the cups, so we’re going to have a lot of games for everybody.”
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