Manchester United got the expected but dreaded news that Benjamin Sesko will be out until January, and nobody can claim bad luck this time.
Having already missed the entirety of pre-season due to a shin injury, Man Utd knew they had to strengthen up front to account for Benjamin Sesko’s fitness.
They didn’t do that, so the most expected scenario has become a reality, but that’s not the only mistake they made last summer.
Chido Obi has just shown them their biggest one, and in the worst way possible.
Chido Obi would have played more for Man Utd than Willem II
As it stands, Man Utd have no natural strikers, if you consider Joshua Zirkzee a reluctant one who would rather drop deep and find runners.
The focal point who is a fox in the box is missing, which is just as well since they sent Chido Obi to Willem II on loan in the Dutch League.
Now, that move would have made sense had Obi played a lot, regardless of form, but currently, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he’d have played more minutes had he stayed at Old Trafford.
Obi has had a puzzling loan spell at a struggling Willem II side that is leaking goals and not giving minutes to the Man Utd loanee.
He most recently played 24 minutes against a second-division side in the cup, receiving just four passes and completing just three.
It’s easy to argue that a player who’s not even getting games for Willem II won’t have made a difference for Man Utd, but football is never linear.
After all, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner is a player who couldn’t cut it at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich, and Leicester City.
Some players, especially strikers, are built to play for bigger teams with better players, and it’s not like United were swimming in striker options when they sent Obi on loan.
It’s easy to imagine Obi playing more minutes for United than he has for Willem II this season, which is a damning indictment on the loan sanctioned for him.
United didn’t just miss a trick by not signing a backup striker, but they also sent away their most exciting striker prospect to a club that is harming his development.
If that’s not a sackable offence for whoever is in charge of transfers at the club, then their job might as well be ironclad and foolproof.