For the first time in the last four games, Obi-Martin didn’t feature in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal last Sunday but had he been granted playing time, it surely would have been a bitter pill to swallow for the Gunners.
During his time at Arsenal, Obi-Martin scored a record-breaking 32 goals in just 20 appearances for the Gunners' Under-18 side but Obi-Martin decided to leave the Gunners last summer as he looked for a new opportunity with a better pathway from academy - to first-team football.
Amazing ability to sniff out goals
With United enjoying a long track record historically of bringing youngsters through the ranks and into the senior squad, the 17-year-old decided to join the Red Devils in October last year.
Since then, he has scored 12 goals in nine appearances for the youth team which has fast-tracked his ascension from the Academy to the first-team. His impact in the first-team squad has been so vital that United faced significant criticism for having left him out of their Europa League squad.
Morten Corlin says that Obi-Martin has skills that are rarely seen for a player of his age. “He's a pure No 9, who is unique in his field, there are not many players who can do what he can. If you look at top strikers, they are typically a bit older than him."
"Even Messi didn't score that many goals until he turned 21. It’s his amazing ability to sniff out goals that has fueled his career. It’s of course a major steal for United to have signed him and now they need to do everything in their power to protect that investment”, says Corlin to Flashscore.
Enormous pressure at a young age
Obi-Martin has so far made three appearances for the United first-team and has looked lively in every contest. But with the luxury of being in contention for a spot in the United attacking formation comes an enormous pressure of having to deliver the goods at every occasion which Uniteds other young Danish striker, 22-year old Rasmus Hojlund, has felt since arriving from Atalanta in the late summer of 2023 in a £73m transfer.
Hojlund hasn’t scored in no less than 20 successive fixtures and has felt the wrath of the Manchester media and fans with expectations weighing heavily on his young shoulders.
In Danish media United has been severely criticized for putting too much pressure on Hojlund too early, which could also pose a challenge futurewise for Obi-Martin if he doesn’t put goals on the scoreboard.
"Rasmus is still a very young player. Manchester United should be ashamed of buying a development player and asking him to deliver in a team that is in such a bad shape as United are. Rasmus shouldn’t be ashamed of his performances so far. The only people who should be ashamed are United," says David Nielsen, current coach of Horsens and one of the most respected Danish football-experts to TV2 Sport.
“United put pressure on themselves with price on Rasmus”
Corlin sympathizes with the criticism but generally feels its beneficial for Obi-Martin’s development to be severely challenged through first-team football in possibly the best league in the world at an early stage and feels United has the sufficient know-how to groom young players for senior football.
“United put pressure on themselves through the price they paid for Rasmus. You usually don’t spend that kind of money and then leave a man on the bench. I think David Nielsen is right that Rasmus is going through a tough time. But I think it is only good as long as United look after him in the following process”, says Corlin.
“The minutes that Chidozie gets in the first team will develop him in an enormous way but you can’t just leave it at that, there must be somebody who takes care of him in the phase to follow but in general I think its brilliant for him that he gets the chance to play on such a big stage.”
Corlin says that the Danish FA keeps in steady contact with United to make sure that Obi-Martin’s development is on the right track, especially for a player with so much pressure riding on his shoulders.
“What happens if they buy one or two strikers in the summer?”
"Now he has got the chance to play in the first team, but there is of course the risk that United will go out and buy one or more strikers this summer and then what? Then he has to go back and play for the U-18’s or U-21’s and that could be hard to deal with for a young player."
“It’s very easy to think the sky is the limit, when you are young but if you then enter a down-period, it’s very important that the club and his family helps him mentally. You can of course hope that he just scores goals from the start, but nobody can expect that, so I hope the club gives him the peace and patience he needs”, says Corlin.
Just as Corlin feels that its vital for United to provide Obi-Martin with all the time and space he needs to succeed in the Premier League, the Danish Under-18 national team coach also stresses the importance of the Danish striker not putting too much pressure on himself.
“Strikers are a special kind. Their success is always directly measured in terms of goals on the scoreboard even though there is much more to it. It is perhaps best that they don't remember too well, i.e. that they don't remember all the chances they miss, and I think he tackles that part very well.”
“I think it was Roger Federer who said that he had won about 80% of his tennis matches, but if you looked at the points, he actually only won just over 50%. So it is important to know that even if you are a top athlete, you do not always succeed.”
Obi-Martin gets the next chance to shine when United face Leicester away on Sunday evening.