Chido Obi has made three appearances for the Manchester United first-teamChido Obi has made three appearances for the Manchester United first-team
Chido Obi has made three appearances for the Manchester United first-team | Manchester United via Getty Images
The Man Utd teenage striker made his international debut for the Denmark U21 side over the recent break.
Manchester United wonderkid Chido Obi continued his impressive breakthrough with an international promotion over the recent break. The 17-year-old was called up to the Denmark U21 side for the first time and made two appearances for the national side, alongside players who were almost five years older than him.
Obi has made three appearances off the bench for United this season and has risen the national ranks as Denmark looks to secure his services at the senior level. The teenage forward has been capped by both Denmark and England at youth level, and he is also eligible to play for Nigeria.
The recent call-up for the Denmark U21 side raises the possibility of being named in their squad for the U21 European Championship this summer. It leaves Obi with a big decision to make when he finally has to decide which country he wishes to represent for the rest of his senior career.
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Denmark manager sets Chido Obi challenge
Denmark U21 manager Steffen Højer was very impressed with what he saw from Chido Obi in matches against Poland and Italy, particularly when you consider just how young he is. The youth international boss is not getting carried away but hopes to see the teenager feature more for Manchester United in the closing months of the season.
“I think he will fit in well with the squad,” Højer told 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.”
“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."
What next for Chido Obi?
Chido Obi will have no further international commitments until the U21 European Championship this summer and could feature for Manchester United in their final nine Premier League matches. The 17-year-old is ineligible to feature in the Europa League this season but could still benefit from their involvement in the competition as they look to keep Rasmus Hojlund fit for those crucial European matches.
Speaking earlier in the month, Ruben Amorim praised Obi for his impressive performance from the bench against Fulham. "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."
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