For a 17-year-old with no senior appearances to his name, there is already plenty of hype around Chido Obi.
On Wednesday, Arsenal fans on social media were lamenting the one that got away as soon as reports of Kai Havertz’s potentially season-ending injury began to circulate.
Manchester United fans, meanwhile, are asking if the teenager – who has a record 41 goals at Premier League Under-18 level – could fill the gap left by Marcus Rashford.
“He would have been in the Arsenal first team if he had stayed,” lamented an Arsenal YouTuber to his 22,800 followers on X.
“This would have been his season to shine as a first-team striker,” said another popular Arsenal fan account.
This season Obi has 12 goals in nine FA Youth Cup and Under-18 league matches, and his strike-rate and style is generating noise across two rival fanbases.
And hours after the news of Havertz’s injury emerged, Obi scored a clinical hat-trick in a 5-1 FA Youth Cup win over Chelsea at Leigh Sports Village. Next up, Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
United manager Ruben Amorim was cautious when asked directly about Obi before last weekend’s victory over Leicester, given the shortage of goals and attacking options in his squad.
“He’s doing his job,” said the Portuguese. “He’s improving and playing in the youth teams. We will see at the end of the season.”
As Sporting boss, Amorim gave Geovany Quenda his senior debut in August, just over three months after his 17th birthday.
And Old Trafford has a long, rich history of blooding 17 and even 16-year-olds – including Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho in the current squad.
Watching Obi in the flesh, first against Preston last month and then against Chelsea, showed the striker has plenty of positive attributes. He is tall, strong athletic – and rapid.
It is easy to see how he was noticed by Arsenal – and many others – soon after arriving in London with his family from Denmark, and why the Gunners had high hopes for the youngster, who qualifies for Denmark, England and Nigeria.
Arsenal signed him up aged 13, but when his schoolboy terms expired at 16, United were able to convince him to join, in part – according to reports in the Athletic – because of their record of promoting youth players into the first team.
Obi was 6ft 2in at 16 and once scored 10 goals against an admittedly weakened Liverpool side at Under-16 level.
When the deal went through in October, he proudly declared: “I am very happy to sign with this amazing club. Time to focus and achieve all my dreams.” He then signed his first professional contract when turning 17 late last year.
Obi was eased in at his new club as he needed to get over a niggling injury. But it has not taken him long to make a sustained impact.
A number of supporters at Leigh Sports Village for the Youth Cup ties against Preston last month – where he scored twice – and Chelsea were paying particular attention to the Denmark youth international.
Obi initially went largely unnoticed against Chelsea. Then he scored. And again. And again.
United were a goal behind and not playing particularly well when Jaydan Kamason chipped a pass into the right attacking channel. Obi arced his run across the Chelsea defence, then held off a defender before applying the finish.
It was a moment of simplicity. But isn’t making difficult things look easy a hallmark of sporting success?
He didn’t have to wait long for his hat-trick, turning home his second – and United’s fourth – from a low cross, before sweeping home a loose ball to complete his treble after a couple of wasted opportunities.
He even has a range of celebrations, using Rashford’s trademark finger to the temple when he scored his second.
Should he decide to look through United’s history in the Youth Cup, Obi will see a number of famous names among those who have won the trophy.
Joining Duncan Edwards, George Best, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Pogba among many others would put Obi in pretty good company.
Obi left the field to the loudest ovation of the night, getting a warm hug of congratulation from head coach Adam Lawrence on his way off.
Understandably, the club are keen to protect the youngster. Lawrence didn’t want to talk about him – or anyone – after the game.
However, they cannot stop supporters acknowledging what they can see with their own eyes.
One fan at the Preston game, Kim Spjut, told BBC Sport: “He is something special, fantastic running, good touch, finishing. He has star quality, you can just see it. He’s already making headlines.”
“I’d like to see him in the first team,” said Steve Owens, a United fan from Bolton who was at the Chelsea game.
“He’s always in the right place, is good with his feet, is fast and can finish.
“At under-18 and under-21 level, he hasn’t really played against anyone as quick and strong, so we have not seen how he would react. But you don’t know until you give him a go.
“He has definitely got it.”
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