Manchester United make decision on Chido Obi-Martin after wonderkid's transfer from Arsenal
Manchester United will be patient with Chido Obi-Martin following his arrival from Arsenal.
Obi-Martin's highly anticipated move to United was officially signed off at the end of September, despite a deal being agreed to sign the prolific youth striker from Arsenal in July.
United were forced to wait for Premier League approval until Obi-Martin could officially be considered their player. In the meantime he trained without a club.
Obi-Martin completed individual sessions with a private coach, but a source admitted he is essentially having to have a pre-season now he has signed for United, meaning supporters might have to wait to get a glimpse of the youngster playing for the academy.
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The 16-year-old has only been training at Carrington for a few weeks and won't be rushed to play a competitive fixture for the academy with his long-term development in mind.
United will allow Obi-Martin to get his fitness up to speed and settle into his new environment before unleashing him in an academy game.
Obi-Martin's situation is similar to Sekou Kone's - another youngster signed in the summer who United are being patient with - but he has missed more time out of the game.
Denmark-born Obi-Martin joined Arsenal from Danish team KB in 2022 and went from strength to strength last season, scoring 10 goals in a single game against Liverpool.
He has been a youth international for Denmark and England, but represented the former in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification campaign this year.
United are always on the lookout to add the best-emerging talent to their academy and completing a deal for Obi-Martin, who is regarded as one the most exciting young talents in Europe, was a further signal of the club's intent to continue to be best-in-class in youth football.
Head of the academy Nick Cox and head of academy recruitment Luke Fedorenko were responsible for the deal to sign Obi-Martin, which has been seen as a significant coup.