Manchester United took one huge step toward FA Youth Cup glory on Wednesday night, knocking out one of the favourites in a dominant showing.
At Leigh Sports Village on Wednesday night, Manchester United U18s ended a three-game winless streak in very impressive fashion.
Chelsea were the visitors and United thrashed the Blues 5-1, with the fixture ending up being very one-sided.
The United academy proved it is unmatched in England right now, with Chido Obi at the forefront of the excellent team performance.
Adam Lawrence watched his unstoppable Danish sensation put in yet another devastating display with U18 football simply a walk in the park for him.
Obi has had to share the spotlight with James Scanlon who scored his 14th of the season at an U18 level which is a very impressive return.
READ: Man Utd under-18s top scorers and assists in 2024/25, all results
Chido Obi-Martin of Manchester United celebrates scoring a goal to make the score 5-1 during the FA Youth Cup Fifth Round match between Manchester ...
Photo by Zohaib Alam – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images
Chido Obi scores three for Manchester United
United were back at their breathtaking best on Wednesday, and it all came with the return of Lawrence’s best players – unsurprisingly.
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Obi’s absence in recent weeks has been felt by the U18s with Victor Musa failing to have the impact Obi has.
Against Chelsea, Obi proved his worth by scoring three excellent goals and taking his season tally across U18 and U21 to a whopping 15 goals. This is an insane amount considering Obi’s season only started in October.
In the FA Youth Cup alone, Obi has scored seven in three games.
Chido Obi goals in FA Youth Cup
Vs. Chelsea – 3 goals
Vs. Stoke – 2 goals
Vs. Preston – 2 goals
All three of Obi’s goals demonstrated his elite ability as a striker with finishing, positioning and composure all commonplace in his game these days.
Obi also showed his strength and speed as he beat Chelsea defenders to balls and also did very well holding up play at times to bring his teammates into the game after a long ball. Obi’s performance earned him and United a quarter-final date with Arsenal, which is a huge game for the striker.
It was the most complete performance we’ve seen from Obi – and luckily for him, it came in front of Jason Wilcox, Darren Fletcher and also Christopher Vivell. The main decision-makers who will be deciding summer transfer plans right now, with Obi putting in a strong argument that a striker should not be on this list.
Ruben Amorim already has the solution to his summer transfer desires
In the January transfer window, Ruben Amorim wanted to sign a striker to bolster his options but no reinforcements arrived.
The goalscoring exploits of either Joshua Zirkzee or Rasmus Hojlund look unlikely to become what Amorim will want from his strikers and therefore the summer is likely to see a big name targeted.
Viktor Gyokeres is a top target for United, however, so is Napoli’s Victor Osimhen – but before United spend an absolute fortune on another striker, Amorim owes it to Obi to give him a chance.
Obi’s statement performance in front of an onlooking Wilcox will only really make an impact if Amorim takes the next step and starts using him – which would negate the need for a summer addition.
The Danish striker is itching for a new challenge with youth football a piece of cake for him, so Amorim must take the next step in Obi’s development and it could very well see United save millions to reallocate elsewhere.
Already Obi boasts qualities which would leave Hojlund and Zirkzee envious and we imagine if Obi was promoted, he’d very quickly unseat the two current senior strikers.