When Rasmus Hojlund was called to the sidelines after 67 minutes against Fulham in the FA Cup to swap for 17-year-old Chido Obi-Martin, there was a whole wing at Old Trafford who showed what they thought of another goalless game for the £72m striker. While United’s least dangerous attacker, Hojlund, did not create much, the 17-year-old came close to deciding the game in United’s favour on several occasions. Many sensed a move was underway, but against Real Sociedad, the opportunity will not be for Obi-Martin.
The U18 Premier League all-time leading scorer immediately showed why he has been picked up from United’s U18 team. On Sunday, the teenager, with 21 minutes for the senior team spread over two games, showed he does not need many minutes of run-in to the world’s toughest league and cups. Several times, the Danish striker came close to scoring his way into a hero role for Manchester United, both in extra time and extra time.
After the game, Amorim was asked about the 17-year-old.
-Chido, great movement, there is a lot to improve and he is a bit naïve (about not falling, when in extra time he had a duel with Fulham’s Bassey in the box), but the movements in the box – it was a good day for him. Not a good day for the team, but a very important day for Chido,” Amorim said according to the Manchester Evening News.
Many speculated that Obi-Martin would quickly get his opportunity from the start, Amorim answered the question with a “we’ll see”.
That’s probably why some United supporters were disappointed when United put out their Europa League squad against Real Sociedad. Obi-Martin was not there. However, it is a natural explanation, reports United, where the U18 player who joined the club as recently as October, is not eligible to play in the Europa League for United.
Awkward. We were looking forward to seeing Obi-Martin continue with what he started against Fulham. For Højlund, this will be another opportunity to get up and show he deserves confidence from the start. The 17-year-old comes to eat playing time from his compatriot, and he arrives quickly.
