A month ago, exciting Manchester United talent Chido Obi was officially handed a new shirt number, showing the club’s vision in recognising his potential for potential first-team opportunities.
With Rasmus Hojlund enduring a 21-game goal drought last season and Joshua Zirkzee still settling into life at Old Trafford, there had been a real sense that opportunities could arise for a young forward to make his mark.
United had yet to sign a new striker at that point, while Matheus Cunha’s arrival offered flexibility but not an out-and-out replacement, and other targets like Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen had moved elsewhere.
The Red Devils have of course, since signed Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
Despite the excitement around the transfer, some will have questioned what that means for Chido Obi’s pathway at the club.
Obi has already been handed his debut by Ruben Amorim, been rewarded with a new shirt number, and even scored his first senior goal on the post-season tour in Hong Kong.
Now, his short-term future may well be put to bed.
The Daily Mail reports that United have no current plans to send the 17-year-old out on loan.
As mentioned above, the signing of Sesko had sparked questions in academy circles about whether it would block Obi’s route to game time this season.
However, club insiders say the plan remains for him to stay with the first-team group and continue developing at Carrington, rather than moving elsewhere.
That said, the stance isn’t entirely set in stone – should a compelling loan opportunity emerge late in the transfer window, the club could reconsider.
For now though, the expectation is that Obi will train alongside the senior squad, looking to build on his encouraging debut campaign after making the switch from Arsenal’s academy last year.
