Chido Obi-Martin showed off why he is considered one of football’s most prodigious young talents on Saturday, scoring a hat trick inside 14 minutes in his first game for the Manchester United under-18s having left rivals Arsenal in the summer.
Obi-Martin, 16, saw his star grow last season after scoring 10 goals in a game for Arsenal’s academy, before turning down the opportunity to sign his first professional contract with the north London club.
Playing for United’s U18s against Nottingham Forest’s age-group team, the Danish-born striker pounced on a mistake from the opposition’s defenders to score his first before 15 seconds had passed in the game played at Carrington.
Obi-Martin then reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box four minutes later, coolly slotting into the bottom-left corner, before completing his hat trick with a first-time finish after a cutback from the left-hand side of the penalty area.
United eventually won the game 5-0.
Obi-Martin’s exploits last season included the 10-goal performance against Liverpool’s U16s as well as a gluttonous 28 goals in 10 U18 games for Arsenal.
He represented Denmark’s U17s at that age group’s European Championship in the summer and was elected to the team of the tournament as they reached the semifinals.
