Ruben Amorim invites Man Utd’s ex-Arsenal wonderkid to first-team setup amid striking woes

Former Arsenal youngster Chido Obi Martin has been impressing for Manchester United’s Under-18 team this season and has recently featured in senior team training sessions

Chido Obi Martin has been recently called up to train with Manchester United ’s first team and the young striker has left Ruben Amorim suitably impressed.

Seventeen-year-old Obi Martin scored twice in a 5-2 Youth Cup win against Preston North End last week having also produced an early assist for Jack Fletcher.

And the Dane, who mimics Cristiano Ronaldo’s “Siuu” celebration when finding the net, has been joining in with senior squad sessions the day after games when many of Amorim’s stars are in recovery mode.

However there seems little prospect of Obi Martin featuring in a first-team matchday squad this season because United are keen to protect the teenager. He moved to the club at the start of this season having spent two years at Arsenal ’s academy.

Amorim, meanwhile, appears no closer to bolstering his attacking frontline in January’s transfer window despite his struggling team losing a seventh game since his arrival two months ago.

Departures are required before belt-tightening owners INEOS sanction a spending flurry and Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho appear the most likely to leave in the next fortnight.

Last week, before the latest setback at home to Brighton, Amorim opened up on the struggles of striker Rasmus Hojlund in front of goal – but insisted that the £70m signing is not to blame, instead saying their issues are collective.

Danish centre forward Hojlund has scored only two Premier League goals in 17 appearances thus far and looks badly short of confidence.

“I think it’s a team problem,” Amorim said. “You can see it. It’s not just from now, it’s from the past. So we have, clearly, a lack of goals and a lack of threat. When you threaten the opponents, the opponents maybe don’t press you so high. So everything is connected

“All the players have moments in this season. I think when we started this journey together, Rasmus was the player that was always scoring. So he can come back in the next game, we will see.”

United host Rangers in an important Europa League clash on Thursday night before travelling to Fulham on Sunday night. They sit 13th in the table with Amorim suggesting that his team may be the worst in the club’s history in terms of records.

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