Manchester United have a special bond with Denmark right now, with four players set to represent the Scandinavian nation.
Within Ruben Amorim’s injury-struck squad, four faces are set to head to Denmark next week to compete for their national team at different levels.
Christian Eriksen, Patrick Dorgu and Rasmus Hojlund have all been called up by Brian Riemer into the Danish senior team for their Nations League quarter-finals against Portugal.
Riemer has been speaking full of praise for Dorgu after naming his squad while admitting Hojlund is lacking confidence and could do with a boost while with the national team.
Meanwhile, one rung down the ladder is Chido Obi who has been involved in the U21 set-up for the upcoming international break.
Now, the U21 boss has explained his decision to include the 17-year-old…
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Steffen Hojer opens up on decision to hand Chido Obi his U21 call-up
Obi has been sensational for United this season, immediately making himself at home with 15 goals for the academy before Amorim had no choice but to call him into the first team.
Now after handing Obi his first U21 call-up for Denmark, head coach Steffen Hojer has revealed his thoughts about the talented striker and reasons for his inclusion, as quoted by Danish outlet Bold.
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“It’s actually too early, I would say”, Hojer explained when asked if Obi was ready for the call-up.
“Now I hope it’s not all about him. First of all, he’s a very young man who I would like us to bring into the team with some calm.
“Secondly, he is extremely inexperienced at senior level compared to the other players we have in the team. He has played very little senior football.
“It’s clear that what Chido does is that he makes you curious. He does that with what he has delivered for the youth team and the chances he has got for Manchester United at the moment.
“Chido is the one I can say the least about. It should be understood in the sense that he is the one I have seen the least of at the top level.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing him on the training pitch. Of course, I’ve had a dialogue with the other national coaches who have had him, about what he can and still needs to learn.
“But if you just look at it, the fact that he made his Premier League debut at the age of 17 shows a certain quality.”
Obi is now just one step behind a senior call-up which could see him join his fellow United stars perhaps with the 2026 World Cup as his ultimate goal to play in.
Denmark may have to accelerate Chido Obi into senior team
The Danish U21 head coach may think it is early for Obi to be in the set-up, but Denmark may need to fast-track United’s ‘explosive’ talented teenager Obi.
Obi is now firmly part of the United first-team set-up which is more than deserved due to his ability, but this will put pressure on Denmark.
Nigeria and England will both be sniffing around Obi and hopeful that he could be swayed from his current ambitions to represent Denmark.
So if Obi does continue rising so rapidly, the June international period could become where we see Obi called into a senior squad for the very first time, before perhaps heading to the U21 European Championships.
It is an exciting time for Obi, and exciting for United that one sure thing is his future lies at Old Trafford.