Chido Obi picked up more valuable minutes off the bench as Manchester United drew with Bournemouth.
Ruben Amorim turned to his bench in the second half looking for a way to help Manchester United push for an equaliser at the Vitality Stadium.
United target Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half despite the Red Devils dominating much of the match. Eventually, it was Rasmus Hojlund who scored a last-gasp equaliser to salvage a point.
Just minutes before that, Amorim changed Hojlund’s position after making a flurry of substitutes in the second half, including the introduction of academy star Chido Obi.
Ruben Amorim prioritised Chido Obi against Bournemouth
Unfortunately for United, Obi is ineligible to play in the Europa League this season so his minutes have come in the Premier League instead.
Amorim has shown complete faith in Obi this season after he was poached from Arsenal in the summer. His route to the first team has been quick but extremely deserved.
With United looking for an equaliser against Bournemouth, Obi was introduced in the 75th minute in place of Noussair Mazraoui.
Amorim quickly tweaked his setup and it was Obi who was given the nod to lead the line instead of Hojlund, who dropped back into a No.10 position.
It was also spotted by The Athletic, who wrote: “Amorim called Hojlund over to the right channel to accommodate Chido Obi.”
It was Hojlund who eventually scored the all-important goal for United, but Amorim showed complete trust in Obi during such an important phase of the game. In his moment of need, it was the 18-year-old who was asked to lead the line rather than Hojlund.
Chido Obi can become a key player at Man United next season
With reports that Hojlund could be sold this summer, there is a golden opportunity for Obi to cement a spot in Amorim’s first-team squad next season. Not only as a rotational player, but as a regular starter.
Hojlund’s confidence crisis this season suggests that he might not be cut out to be United’s No.1, and inevitably a new striker will arrive in the summer.
United are closing in on a £30m Liam Delap deal and it could be the current Ipswich striker that Obi finds himself competing with for a starting spot.
READ MORE: Chido Obi and Harry Amass hail influence of Man Utd academy coaches, ‘he’s made me better…’
Obi will be targeting more minutes in the remaining four Premier League games and will want to be heavily involved in United’s post-season tour of Asia.
Clearly Amorim already trusts Obi to lead the line for United – even ahead of Hojlund. Next season fans could see a major breakthrough from the young forward.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
