Manchester United striker Chido Obi has received glowing praise from Under-18 head coach Darren Fletcher following another impressive season of development.
Obi made seven senior appearances for the Red Devils last season but has spent the majority of the 2025-26 campaign continuing his growth within the academy setup.
Despite already tasting first-team football, the teenage striker has reportedly remained grounded and fully committed to improving every aspect of his game.
Fletcher revealed a fascinating story that perfectly highlighted Obi’s mentality and hunger to keep developing.
He said (via The Athletic): “The most pleasing thing about that one with Chido was (that) the under-21s game got cancelled the day before and he messaged me wanting to play (for the under-18s).
“I thought it was amazing for Chido to want to play in the game, to not think the under-18s is beneath him. That shows how mature he is, which comes with age.
Obi has made enormous strides in his development over the last 10 months. The young striker has scored 20 goals in 35 appearances.
The young Red Devils will face Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup final tomorrow.
Obi is expected to lead the line after finding the net in all four of his FA Youth Cup appearances this season.
Fletcher also spoke passionately about the dramatic improvements he has seen in Obi’s all-round game.
He said: “His development has been great. You see him in the under-18s — off-the-ball movement, tactical understanding, improvement in all parts of the game as a striker. We know he can score but developing the other areas — his hold-up play, his linking — has been fantastic. He’s been supplying assists for his other team-mates.
“He’s improved massively.”
Obi can still frustrate supporters at times with certain aspects of his game, but the progress in his overall development has become increasingly obvious.
There has never been any doubt surrounding his natural goalscoring instincts.
However, the teenager is now becoming far more involved in attacking build-up play by dropping deeper, linking passes and protecting possession more effectively.
Obi is widely expected to travel with the senior squad during the upcoming pre-season tour.
That period could provide him with a golden opportunity to convince the coaching staff that he deserves a permanent place in the first-team setup.
While Benjamin Sesko remains the undisputed first-choice striker, United are likely to rely more heavily on academy talent to strengthen squad depth ahead of their return to the UEFA Champions League.
Obi could receive opportunities in domestic cup competitions and potentially even Champions League matches against less demanding opposition.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
