Chido Obi snub sparks Man Utd panic: Where is the forgotten wonderkid?

Former Denmark international Mikkel Beckmann is worried that Manchester United made a big mistake by not allowing Chido Obi to go out on loan in the summer.

The 17-year-old striker joined the Red Devils on a free transfer from Arsenal last year. Obi arrived at Old Trafford with a sparkling reputation after tearing up the youth ranks in North London.

Given Man Utd’s struggles, it didn’t take long for the Denmark youth international to make his way into the first team, with Ruben Amorim affording him several senior appearances in the second half of the season.

The youngster didn’t manage to score in his eight outings, but he showed plenty of promise. He was able to compete with Premier League-proven defenders due to his towering height and looked set for a big role as Benjamin Sesko’s deputy this season when Rasmus Hojlund was offloaded.

However, things have not panned out this way. Despite being part of Amorim’s pre-season squad, Obi has yet to make a single first-team appearance and is instead playing for the U23s, where he has scored three goals in four games.

Should Obi have left on loan?

Towards the end of last season, there were discussions about whether Denmark should fast-track him into the first team to cap-tie him, as he is also eligible to play for England and Nigeria.

In light of this, it is viewed as a worrying development in Denmark that Obi is now back to just playing youth football. Former international Mikkel Beckmann believes that the teenager should have been allowed to go out on loan in the summer.

“The reserve team matches, it doesn’t taste particularly good,” he said on Viaplay. “It’s like when we have our Future Cup matches at home. It’s the reserves who play, and it’s just far from the same as playing first-team football,” he said.

Nevertheless, Beckman is understanding of Amorim’s predicament at Old Trafford: “I just don’t think the time is right for Amorim to suddenly try Chido Obi out at United. He is very, very far from the first team at United.

He therefore posits that a loan would be the best solution for the 17-year-old: “I would like to see him play some senior football at a higher level than just reserves at United.”

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