Rúben Amorim must hand a first start to one Manchester United Academy star who Leny Yoro stated could become “one of the world’s best” in his position.
Manchester United are set to return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon, taking on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford.
Rúben Amorim’s last match saw the team stage a thrilling 7-6 aggregate victory over Olympique Lyonnais at Old Trafford, securing their place in the Europa League semi-finals, where they’ll meet Athletic Bilbao.
Amorim will also be looking to avenge the 2-0 defeat United suffered at the hands of Vitor Pereira’s Wolves in December, with goals from Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan sealing the win for Wolves.
The 40-year-old manager will be hoping his players can build on the momentum of that dramatic win over Lyon as they return to domestic competition.
Amorim can hand Obi his first start
Following the stunning win over Lyon in midweek, Amorim admitted that he knows he will have to start playing younger players in the Premier League in order to properly prepare his club for their Europa League semi-final early next month.
With many fans speculating which players may be thrown into the team against Wolves, the tie represents the perfect chance for Amorim to hand Chido Obi his first start for the club’s senior team.
Obi has made three appearances under Amorim so far, including a brilliant cameo against Fulham in the FA Cup, but hasn’t featured since due to the availability of Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Højlund.
However, with Zirkzee now ruled out for the season, Amorim has confirmed that 17-year-old Obi is likely to make several Premier League appearances before the end of the campaign, and the tie against Wolves represents the perfect chance for his first start with the Old Trafford crowd behind him.
“Yes, I think so,” Amorim replied when asked if the 17-year-old could feature in the league this season amid the need to rest senior players.
Yoro’s bold prediction about Obi
Obi’s talents are not secret. Before he chose to join United when leaving Arsenal, the young Danish star had a plethora of clubs to choose from before landing at Old Trafford.
While Obi played much of his football in the Academy during his first few months at the club, he has since been heavily involved in first-team training, where United’s senior players have been able to see his talent first-hand.
“Chido is talented,” centre-back Leny Yoro said of the young striker earlier this month. “He can become one of the world’s best strikers, in my opinion, if he continues his development.
“He scores a lot of goals and is a good boy, so I also hope that he will become one of the best.”
While it is expected that Obi will continue to play for the Academy sides throughout 2025, there is little doubt that he will become increasingly involved in Amorim’s squad as the year progresses.
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