Ruben Amorim left it late but eventually the Manchester United boss handed Chido Obi his senior debut against Tottenham.
Chido Obi was one of seven academy players on the bench as Manchester United lost 1-0 to Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.
Ruben Amorim had no choice but to put his faith in youth after a flurry of injuries throughout the week. Amad Diallo’s season is over following an ankle injury, while Kobbie Mainoo is out for six weeks.
After another disappointing start, Amorim was furious at United’s performance, but his tweaks at half-time resulted in a much-improved second-half display.
That was Amorim’s justification for not making substitutes – as he felt his side were closing in on goal. Ultimately, an equaliser never came, and Amorim turned to Obi for the final few minutes.
Chido Obi’s Man United move is justified
United knew that signing Chido Obi from Arsenal this summer was a major coup. The Danish forward’s record in youth football is nothing short of extraordinary.
The goals continued to flow following his move to Manchester with Obi scoring a hat-trick in United’s latest FA Youth Cup win over Chelsea.
The decision to leave Arsenal was controversial, but Obi was promised a first-team pathway at United by Ineos. United chiefs assured him he would be the third-choice striker behind Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, and that promise has been honoured.
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Obi replaced Casemiro in the 90th minute to make his senior debut – something that Arsenal weren’t willing to make happen anytime soon.
There was not enough time for Obi to make an impact on the scoreline, but he now has one foot in the first team and he will be hungry to get more minutes under his belt.
While Amorim waited to give Obi his debut, he did confirm that United’s youngsters will get plenty more opportunities this season.
After the full-time whistle, Amorim said: “They will play during this season. We will have games in the cup and Europe and they will play.
On Obi, Amorim added: “If you see Chido playing, he is clever with every ball lost in the box, so I wanted one more player.”
Zirkzee impressed in a No.10 position, meaning Obi could soon find himself as the second-choice striker behind only Hojlund.
After dominating youth football in United’s academy, the former Arsenal ace can now look forward to becoming a first-team regular.