Chido Obi made his first appearances for Denmark Under-21s during the international break
Comments
Sport
Chido Obi of Denmark in action during a friendly match between Poland U21 and Denmark U21 at Calista Sports Centre. Altan Gocher / GocherImagery/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Chido Obi made his Denmark Under-21 debut against Poland last week and earned a second cap in Monday's game with Italy
(Image: Altan Gocher / GocherImagery/Future Publishing via Getty Images))
Chido Obi grasped his international chance in midweek, and Denmark hope the striker will be given further opportunities at Manchester United before the end of the season.
The 18-year-old featured twice off the bench for Denmark’s Under-21s during the break, his first appearances at that level. It raises the prospect of Obi being called up for this summer’s European U21 Championships in Slovakia.
Article continues below
And his national team boss Steffen Højer was impressed with how the United prospect adapted to the step up in international levels.
“I think he will fit in well with the squad,” said Hojer, speaking to Danish media outlet Tipsbladet. “We had talked about it a lot before, because he is five years younger than some of the players we have. He is a very young man. He was there to learn, and we had him there to watch him.
“He makes a good impression, and I was extremely happy to see how he came into the squad and how the boys welcomed him. He has had a really good trip and has shown himself well.
“Now it's home and work further at Manchester United and see if he can get a little more playing time there.”
Obi was given the final quarter in Monday’s 1-1 draw with Italy having played 15 minutes off the bench in a 3-3 draw with Poland last week.
Hojer added: “He comes in where there is relatively a lot of pressure.
"What you hope with someone like him is that he gets that one chance, because it is absolutely his core competency to be in the box and put the balls in the box. It didn't come (against Italy).
“But he came in and worked with the team in a difficult situation, so you couldn't expect much else from him.”
Obi has been capped at youth level by the Danes and England.
He made two appearances for the Three Lions Under-16s in 2022 having already played at that age-group for the country of his birth. He subsequently scored 12 goals in 19 games for Denmark's Under-17s and two in four for the Under-18s before being promoted up an age-group.
Obi joined United from Arsenal last year in a move that was seen as a significant coup due to his high potential. He joined the Gunners from Danish team KB in 2022 and went from strength to strength at the Emirates, notably scoring 10 goals in a single game against Liverpool.
He has since impressed for United at academy level before his promotion into the first team picture. He scored seven goals in three FA Youth Cup games this season as well as five in six for United's Under-18s.
Article continues below
Speaking about Obi, and fellow former academy graduate Ayden Heaven, following the FA Cup tie with Fulham last month, United chief Ruben Amorim said: "They are players with talent and then, when you have this moment with some injuries, they have to be ready. It's our tradition to put players in to play, especially in this moment.
"We have to focus on everything, the future is right there and the young kids can feel the club and can change things sometimes for us, without buying players.
"And I think Chido did really well today. Of course, he was a little bit naïve in some moments, but you felt that, inside the box, he wants the ball – something the strikers have and he has."