Manchester United crashed out of the FA Cup fifth round after a 3-4 penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday. The game had finished 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Ruben Amorim’s call to persist with Rasmus Hojlund up top was one of the reasons behind the loss as the Dane once again offered very little up top.
It was clear to see from his performance against the London side that he is short on confidence with his goal drought now crossing 18 games.
And soon after his substitution, the Red Devils roared back to life with Bruno Fernandes scoring the equaliser while the Dane’s replacement, Chido Obi fashioned as many as three chances with his instinctive play inside the box.
Chido Obi’s impressive cameo
He might only be 17 but he showed that he is ready to lead the line in his cameo against the Cottagers, earning praise from United legend Wayne Rooney after the game.
The Portuguese head coach was also full of praise for the Carrington graduate and he has already hinted that changes could be made up front very soon.
While the ex-Arsenal starlet will miss the Europa League game against Real Sociedad, Givemesport have claimed Amorim is giving serious thought to the idea of starting the academy sensation in the league games to come.
“Amorim is tempted to reward Obi-Martin with his first senior start for Manchester United in the coming weeks, according to GMS sources, after Rasmus Hojlund’s search for a first goal since December has been extended and he has been left low on confidence at a crucial stage of the campaign.
“Influential figures at Manchester United are impressed with Obi-Martin’s energy levels and ability to get into dangerous positions, GMS sources have learned, leading to Amorim being close to giving him his maiden senior start as he goes in search of something new to keep the Red Devils’ faltering season alive.
Set to start vs Arsenal?
“GMS sources have been told that Manchester United are desperate to avoid a situation where Obi-Martin’s confidence is impacted, resulting in a decision needing to be made on whether to give him the nod for the encounter with Arsenal as he is ineligible for the Europa League clashes against Real Sociedad.”
The report claims there is a chance that the Danish wonderkid could receive the nod to start against his former club next Sunday.
And if that does not happen, there is a strong chance that he might start against Leicester City the following week.
“If Obi-Martin is not included from the off against Arsenal, GMS sources understand that he may be on course to bag a place in the line-up when they face Leicester City on March 16 as he has highlighted that he deserves to have his development fast-tracked ahead of potentially contending with fresh competition in the summer.”
The reaction of fans inside Old Trafford makes it clear that they want Chido Obi to start and Amorim must start to trust the kids after the big-name stars have let him down.
Feature image Lewis Storey via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
