Ruben Amorim has warned Manchester United fans they must be ‘careful’ amid calls for young forward Chido Obi to be promoted to first-team action, as the Red Devils boss also revealed ‘problems’ for Sunday’s trip to Tottenham.
The 17-year-old talent moved to Old Trafford over the summer after he rejected the opportunity to remain at Premier League rivals Arsenal.
Obi shot to prominence last season after scoring a ton of goals in Arsenal’s youth set-up, including an incredible 10 in a single game for the Under-16s back in November 2023.
The Denmark youth international has continued to build on that reputation and netted a hat-trick in midweek as Man Utd crushed Chelsea 5-1 to set up an FA Youth Cup quarter-final against his old club.
And with Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund both struggling for goals, there has been a growing clamour for Obi to be thrown in at the deep end.
Speaking on the prospects of the teenager actually being involved against Spurs on Sunday, Amorim said: “I don’t want to say names.
“We have to be careful on that. We have problems this week, we called some young players to be in our training. We have some data evaluation. He is one of them.”
Amorim continues to oversee a rebuild on the field after United under-performed during Erik ten Hag’s tenure, but the Portuguese coach is well aware of the problems he faces.
He added: “Our biggest problem now is Tottenham. We know the moment of the club. Of course I have to understand all of these problems but that problem of our club is not new. You already knew the rules of fair play.
“We have a problem at the moment, but that cannot influence the way I coach the team and prepare the next game, so my focus is on that and not the other things.”
Pushed on the longer-term impact after restrictions hampered their winter transfer business, Amorim said: “Here is simple – to do something we need to sell players.
“My focus is to prepare the game. We cannot do (signings) now. The window is closed.
“We need to focus on the games that we have, especially the next one, and then in the summer we will see.”
READ MORE ➡️ Ranking all Premier League clubs by transfer net spend in 2025: Man Utd flying high, Liverpool near the bottom
Trio doubtful for Tottenham clash
As for the game at struggling Spurs, United have doubts over the fitness of three unnamed players against Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Amorim refused to specify which players have an issue but said one player is unwell and indicated some of the “problems” were incurred during training.
Long-term absentees Jonny Evans, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw remain sidelined, while Lisandro Martinez is out until later in the year with an anterior cruciate ligament.
A win for the home side on Sunday would actually see them move above United in the table, with Tottenham actually set to welcome back some of their own walking wounded.
Latest Man Utd news: Amorim reiterates sell to buy policy / Portuguese talents on United radar
Amorim insisted United must sell before they buy in the summer, and sources claim three high-profile stars with one thing in common are all available for big fees.
Speaking in a press conference for Sunday’ clash, Amorim admitted Man Utd will again be reliant on sales before they can splash the cash in the summer.
Homegrown stars Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford were all made available for sale in the winter window, and that scenario could develop again in the summer.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils are showing strong interest in signing an FC Porto star who club chiefs believe is ‘destined to become a leading player in world football’, and he’s not the only Portuguese talent United hope to land.
If you were Alejandro Garnacho, what decision would you make over your future?