Man Utd already know wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin's potential after incredible 14-minute hat-trick
Chido Obi-Martin's full Manchester United Under-18s debut got off to the perfect start on Saturday.
The 16-year-old scored a hat-trick within the first 14 minutes against Nottingham Forest at Carrington, fresh from a 27-minute cameo appearance against Sunderland last weekend. Obi-Martin finalised a move to Old Trafford from Arsenal in September and made his first start for the Reds against Forest.
And the Danish forward netted with just 13 seconds on the clock, pouncing on an under-hit back pass, rounding Forest goalkeeper Keehan Willows and tapping into an empty net.
Obi-Martin's arrival at M16 has excited plenty of United fans, and the verdicts of former Arsenal players indicate that the Reds have a future star on their books. Ex-Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere, who managed Arsenal's under-18 team, was gushing with praise after the youngster netted four goals for his side against Crystal Palace in March 2024.
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“I’m proud of the team because, for a striker to score four, he needs his teammates, his midfielders and defenders, but it’s the hardest thing in football and to do it four times as an under-16 in under-18s football takes some real personality,” he said.
“Not just that side of his game, his link-up play, the way he pressed and set the tempo for us, he’s developing nicely. There are still things to do and get better at but I’m happy with where he’s at at the moment.
“Of course, it helps when you have a goalscorer like Chido who is on fire at the moment, and everything he touches seems to go in. He’s worked so hard over the last couple of years, especially since we’ve had him at Sobha Realty Training Centre over the last six weeks, and he’s getting his rewards for that hard work.
“He’s been exceptional,” Wilshere added. “I’ve said it before but credit to everyone at the club and at Hale End for the work that they have done with him. He’s adapted so well, helped the team massively at times.”
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright noticed Obi-Martin's talent whilst watching him in a UEFA Youth League game against Sevilla last year. “It’s Chido Obi-Martin, he’s 15, honestly he’s like 6 foot 2, he looks really quick,” Wright said.
Denmark Under-17 manager Jesper Mikkelsen, meanwhile, has explained just what makes Obi-Martin so good. “He is really dominant because of his physique, but I don’t think that is the only reason,” Mikkelsen said.
“He is big and strong, but he is also reasonably agile. He is good at sticking to the game, but he is actually also good at challenging and dribbling himself.
“So that makes him interesting now and in the long run because it is interesting to see how much this physique can carry him forward towards a breakthrough on the big stage. He has scored many goals for us and he has been a real handful for our opponents, but it is also important that he gets better at playing together with his team-mates.
“His greatest characteristic and challenge is that he really wants to score goals. He can sometimes play his own game.”
Those exciting words will have already sent a message to United about the youngster's exciting potential.