Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has made a surprising admission about his handling of teenage prospect Chido Obi, conceding he thrust the young striker into first-team action prematurely during last season's injury crisis.
Injury Crisis Forces United's Hand
The Red Devils face another significant attacking shortage with Benjamin Sesko expected to miss several weeks after the £73.7million striker suffered a knee injury against Tottenham before the international break. The situation is compounded by the impending departure of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo for the Africa Cup of Nations next month.
These absences create a substantial gap in United's forward options and inevitably raise questions about the decision to send Rasmus Hojlund on loan to Napoli. The most likely replacements appear to be Joshua Zirkzee, who has expressed frustration over limited playing time this season, or the highly-rated 17-year-old Obi.
Amorim's Cautious Approach to Youth Development
However, Amorim has dismissed suggestions he will automatically turn to the Danish teenager, despite Obi making eight senior appearances last term when injuries decimated the first-team squad.
"He played last year, but I think it was too soon," the United boss admitted. "We didn't have a team where we could put a young kid of 16 into the side without him struggling. He's one of the guys but he started too early."
Amorim highlighted the psychological challenges of introducing young players too quickly, noting: "Sometimes it's hard to deal with that because they think 'I'm already here'. We need to be careful with that."
Obi joined United's academy following his high-profile departure from Arsenal last year and became the club's youngest ever Premier League starter when he lined up against Brentford in May. His previous appearances included brief cameos against Everton, Leicester, Wolves and Bournemouth in the league, plus a 52-minute FA Cup appearance against Fulham after his debut in stoppage time against Tottenham in February.
Lacey Emerges as Another Prospect
Despite his earlier opportunities, the young Dane has yet to feature under Amorim this season and has been training predominantly with the academy setup.
Another emerging talent capturing attention is 18-year-old forward Shea Lacey, who recently scored his first goal for England's Under-20 side. Lacey has trained with both the England U21s and Thomas Tuchel's first team since the season began, though he's yet to make his senior United debut.
Reports suggest Lacey has been included in the squad for Monday's match against Everton at Old Trafford, indicating Amorim's careful approach to integrating young talent.
"I'm really happy with him," Amorim said of Lacey. "He struggled initially with injuries but the medical team did excellent work balancing his body. You can sense he can manage more training load now."
The Portuguese manager emphasised the significant step up required for young players: "He has tremendous talent, but when they arrive here they experience the completely different speed. They need time with us to prepare because our training intensity is demanding. Premier League matches bring even greater pressure, so they must be fully ready."
Amorim outlined his comprehensive approach to youth development: "When we call a youngster to the first team, they need to maintain excellent behaviour. This connection between academy and senior level is crucial. We're implementing everything necessary - including a nutritionist for the academy starting now. These fundamentals should be standard."
He concluded: "With all these measures in place, I'll have more time with them and greater confidence in their readiness. When we eventually introduce these youngsters in Premier League matches, they'll still face challenges, but I believe they'll struggle significantly less."
