Any graduate of Manchester United’s fabled Carrington academy will tell you that mentality is just as important as ability.
There is a reason why Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and the current sensation that is Kobbie Mainoo made it big in that famous red shirt.
And there is a reason why the likes of Ravel Morrison – labelled ‘probably the most naturally gifted young kid I’ve ever seen’ by Rio Ferdinand – did not.
Fortunately, it appears that Chido Obi-Martin has more in common with Mainoo than Morrison.
The wonderkid snapped up from Arsenal over the summer is averaging a goal a game for Manchester United.
Obi-Martin is the Under-18 Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer these days too, taking his tally to a staggering 37 in 23 matches with a penalty in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Stoke City.
And Paul Aladejare, who had two spells working with Arsenal’s academy, knew from the very first minute he saw Obi-Martin in action that this was something a little out of the ordinary.
Former Arsenal coach was blown away by Manchester United’s Chido Obi-Martin
“He was so leggy and walked with such a swagger. I thought, ‘Who on earth is this?’,” Aladejare recalls, speaking to The Athletic and explaining how his move to Arsenal from Kjobenhavns Boldklub back in 2022 came about.
“His English wasn’t great but he understood football terms. At half-time [in his first trial game], I tried to get him to simplify things so I said, ‘Run, skill, shoot’.
“He scored four goals. They were all excellent finishes, too. In the final minute, he got the ball wide, went past three players, cut in and curled it into the far corner at top speed as if it was nothing. He was the real deal.
“One scout I was chatting to thought he looked OK, wasn’t there technically, so predicted he would become a centre-half! I looked up at the sky and shook my head.”
Aladejare adds that it took just 20 minutes of watching Obi-Martin terrorise opposition defenders for him to contact his Arsenal superiors and inform them that the striker needed to be signed there and then. By his admission, Obi-Martin had ‘scouts from every club in London’ showing an interest.
Two years on, Obi-Martin is wearing a red shirt of a different hue.
Arsenal were understandably desperate to keep the Denmark Under-18 international – particularly after ending last season with 28 goals in 10 matches, and yes you read that right – but Manchester United’s was an offer Obi-Martin simply couldn’t refuse.
Obi-Martin believes he’s the best 16-year-old in football
Obi-Martin possesses ‘fierce’ finishing and a ‘wild physique’. Those are perhaps the two things many people notice straight off the bat when watching him in action.
Aladejare, however, knows Obi-Martin better than most. And he feels that the 16-year-old’s rock-solid self-belief is another factor which should take him to the top.
“He believes he is the best player in his age group in the world,” says the former Leicester City, Brighton and Blackburn Rovers scout. “That is his mentality.
“I did one-on-one technical sessions with him when he was at Arsenal. He was like a sponge. He could take 10 shots, bag nine and if he missed one he wanted to start again. He goes again until he gets it right. He used to be a good finisher and now he’s a great finisher.
“He can still be better in his striking but he’s got quite an unconventional technique. But if it is still ending up in the corner of the net then who cares?”
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