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Published February 13, 2025 7:42am Updated February 13, 2025 7:45am
The clamour for Chido Obi-Martin to be included in Manchester United’s first team squad intensified last night after the former Arsenal striker scored a hat-trick against Chelsea.
Adam Lawrence’s side advanced to the quarter finals of the FA Youth Cup after coming from behind to record a 5-1 win that set up a last eight tie against Obi-Martin’s former club.
The Denmark youth international shot to prominence last year as a result of his astonishing goalscoring feats for the Gunners.
Arsenal had hoped the 17-year-old would follow the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri into Mikel Arteta’s immediate plans, but the player was said to be unconvinced there was a pathway open to him.
United now look set to benefit from Obi-Martin’s goalscoring instincts and he took his tally to seven goals in three matches in the Youth Cup this season.
With Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund struggling to convince, a promotion may well be on the cards for a player Arsenal could well do with right now.
Devastating news arrived for the Gunners on Wednesday with confirmation that Kai Havertz had sustained a hamstring injury that is likely to sideline him for the rest of the season.
With Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all out of action, Arteta’s attacking reserves are at an all-time low.
Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri and Raheem Sterling are the only forwards available for Saturday’s trip to Leicester and he may well be forced to call upon rookies Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and Charles Sagoe Jr to fill the bench.
Given the lack of options at his disposal following the decision not to buy a striker in the January window, Obi-Martin would almost certainly have been given a chance at Arsenal over the coming weeks had he signed a new deal in the summer, a fact not lost on Arsenal fans last night.
‘Chido Obi Martin just Scored a Hattrick few hours after Kai Havertz was ruled out for the season,’ said one fan on X who spotted the irony. ‘What a script.’
Another remarked: ‘Oh well, at least we’ve got 2 promising youngsters in Chido Obi-Martin and Mika Biereth coming through….oh wait!’
‘This is the time Chido Martin Obi would have made his breakthrough into the first team,’ said another.
Whether Obi-Martin makes a Premier League appearance for United this season remains to be seen, but Ruben Amorim was coy on the subject when he was asked about the prospect earlier this month amid the worrying form of Hojlund and Zirkzee.
‘He’s doing his job, he’s improving, he’s playing in the youth teams, and we have also other players that can play in that position.
‘Rasmus [Hojlund] and Josh [Zirkzee] are there, we bought these two players, so we need to improve them and then sometimes the confidence can change a player.
‘We will see in the end of the season, but, until then, we have two strikers that can score goals.
‘They proved it in the past. Let’s see if we can improve as a team, to help them to score goals.’
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