Manchester United are reportedly open to letting youngster Chido Obi go out on loan next season.
Obi officially joined Man United from Premier League rivals Arsenal in October 2024 and made his senior debut four months later as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League.
The teenager would then go on to make eight senior appearances in total during the 2024-25 season, becoming Man Utd’s youngest-ever player to start a Premier League match aged 17 years and 156 days old against Brentford.
This season, however, Obi has seen his first team opportunities limited. His one and only inclusion in a senior matchday squad was the 1-1 draw at home to Wolves at the end of December, meaning he is yet to feature under Michael Carrick.
According to the Mail, this has been by design as Man United decided the 18-year-old would be the focal point for both the Under 18s and the Under 21s this season as the feeling is that taking a step back from the first team will help him in the long run.
Furthermore, the report states that United made a conscious decision in January that they would not entertain loan offers for Obi.
That said, while a loan move is viewed as much more likely next season, many at the club feel vindicated to have made Obi a priority across two age-groups this season.
On Monday, Obi scored four goals against Leicester to keep Man Utd on track for Premier League 2 glory.
Elsewhere, Obi is the United U18’s - managed by Darren Fletcher - starting striker in the FA Youth Cup, where they are into the quarter-finals against either Sunderland or Brighton, and he could also feature in the semi-finals of the Under-18 Premier League Cup against West Ham.
At Under-21s level, Obi is expected to lead the line against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Premier League International Cup next month.
