Manchester United are finalising plans for a major overhaul of the first-team squad this summer, with a host of incomings and outgoings expected at Old Trafford regardless of who is in the dugout next season.
The focus will be on bolstering a midfield unit that is braced to lose its most important cog, as Casemiro‘s time in M16 is fast approaching an end. Manuel Ugarte has proven incapable of deputising for the Brazil international, leaving Kobbie Mainoo as the sole option with a long-term future at the club.
Consequently, two new recruits are planned to fix this stalling engine room, with INEOS’ focus on Premier League-proven operators incurring the dreaded tax when shopping in England. Elliot Anderson is the primary target, while Adam Wharton, Sandro Tonali and Carlos Baleba are also high on the radar. All four will cost up to, if not in excess of, £100 million to prise away from their respective clubs.
This one-two punch in midfield will have a knockout blow on United’s war chest this summer, despite a host of other areas of the pitch – goalkeeper, centre-back, left-back and left-wing – also understood to be on the agenda. But an additional centre-forward may be needed, given Benjamin Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee have combined for just 11 goals in the league.
The 6’5 Slovenian, still in his maiden campaign in English football, has accounted for nine of these, however, leaving the sinking Dutchman as the Hyde to Sesko’s Jekyll. Zirkzee has been strongly linked with a return to Serie A, the league where he first rose to prominence, and came close to signing for AS Roma in January. A host of Italian clubs are expected to come knocking for his services again this summer.
The plethora of needs in the market and a finite budget that can stretch only so far, even with sales, will force hard choices for INEOS. A new striker is simply not as urgent as the needs in midfield or on the left-hand side to justify a big-money outlay on one of the recruitment department’s leading targets, such as Bournemouth starlet Eli Junior Kroupi.
In previous eras, the Red Devils would use the academy as a source of fresh blood for the senior squad – and this is exactly where the club’s hierarchy should turn to solve their goal-shy striker situation.
The Deadly Dane
Captured from Arsenal as one of the first signings of the INEOS era in 2024, Chido Obi arrived at Old Trafford with a reputation as one of the country’s most highly rated academy players. The 6’2 Dane, considered a giant in youth football, was a crown jewel at Hale End, with the Gunners livid at losing him to a rival.
One notable story from his time in north London came in an under-18s match against Norwich City, where he scored seven goals in a 9-0 thrashing of the Canaries. A scarcely believable tale, until you realise it was not even his personal best, having returned 10 goals in a 14-3 demolition of Liverpool u-16s earlier in the season.
While the imposing physical advantages Obi held over his peers at that age were a key factor in this dominance, it takes a potent pairing of predatory instincts and lethal finishing to translate these gifts into goals.
However, there has been a natural learning curve for the Glostrup native since arriving in Manchester, as he has often played in the u-21s against defenders capable of matching his speed, size and strength. His record in a red shirt – 16 goals in 14 games for the u-18s compared to 14 in 35 for the u-21s – tells its own story.
Sophomore Sorrows
In the second half of last season, Obi made his senior debut for the Red Devils after an injury crisis forced Ruben Amorim to name him on the bench against Tottenham Hotspur, where he was summoned from with the Lilywhites winning 1-0. Later in the campaign, he became the youngest Premier League starter in United’s history at 17 years and 156 days in the 4-3 loss to Brentford.
But this ascension to the first team has not been replicated this season. The 18-year-old has been named in a matchday squad just once throughout the campaign, with both Amorim and his successor, Michael Carrick, opting for other attacking options.
In December, Amorim drew widespread criticism, both inside and outside the club, for his dismissive comments about Obi, alongside Harry Amass, when trying to justify his decision to ignore academy players. It was a choice of words that ran antithetical to the club’s identity, an early nail in the Portuguese’s eventual coffin.
Earlier this month, The BBC revealed Obi had only “recently started training with the senior squad again” – a far cry from the eight first-team appearances he was racking up at this time last year. However, there was the clearest demonstration of the Dane’s progress since his arrival two years ago last night, far more than in any of his showings with the big boys.
A Top-Class No.9
Under Darren Fletcher’s watch, the u-18s put Crystal Palace to the sword in the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup. The 2-1 win, courtesy of two fantastic strikes from Obi and standout sensation JJ Gabriel, sets up a mouth-watering final with local rivals Manchester City on 9 May.
It will be the first time the neighbours have met in the final of the competition since 1986, while both clubs are also neck and neck in the U-18 Premier League table, with the Citizens leading the Red Devils by just three points.
Obi’s hand in both goals, laying the first on a platter before gobbling up the second himself, demonstrated the complete skillset every top No.9 possesses. With his back to goal, he received a pass from Yuel Helafu, controlling the ball immediately before leaving the centre-back dead with an excellent turn and playing an incisive through ball for Gabriel, who finished with aplomb to put United 1-0 up.
Palace equalised after a costly mistake by No.1 Cameron Byrne-Hughes, sending the match into extra time. But with penalties looming, Obi stood tall to produce a match-winning moment in the 117th minute. He made a great run inside the Eagles’ backline to collect James Overy’s pass, before showing ice-cold composure with tired legs to go round the goalkeeper and secure his side’s place in the final.
The Athletic described the goal as the textbook definition of “what being a top striker is all about: delivering the decisive in a big match.” It’s a hard argument to dispute – and one which offers United hope of replication for the senior side next season.
Conclusion – Chido’s Chance
United are understood to be happy with Sesko’s progress as a young striker playing in the Premier League for the first time. He offers a freakish selection of physical attributes on the pitch, and outstanding attitude and application off it. The expectation is for him to kick on even more next season.
Furthermore, his fellow summer recruits – Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo – are versatile forwards, capable of playing through the middle if needed. Mbeumo, in particular, was red-hot as a false nine in the early period of Carrick’s caretaker tenure.
This means there is experience and depth up top to support Sesko, even if Zirkzee’s days at the club look numbered. But neither Mbeumo nor Cunha offers the same imposing goal-hungry profile of Sesko, creating a gap in the squad that United cannot afford to fill.
Enter Obi, a tall, powerful No.9 with excellent fox-in-the-box instincts. While the young striker will not be needed to start anytime soon, he can offer the Red Devils a lethal bulldozer from the bench in the way Zirkzee has simply been incapable of doing. And the best part for the INEOS machine at the helm since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover? It will not cost the club a penny.
Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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