Man United coach Adam Lawrence gives update on Chido Obi’s future | OneFootball

Manchester United Under-21s boss Adam Lawrence has outlined the club’s plan for Chido Obi and what the future may hold for the youngster.

Backward development

Regarded as one of the best talents in the country, United pulled off a major coup when they lured Obi away from Arsenal in October 2024.

The goalscoring prodigy hit the ground running in United’s youth ranks as he constantly found the back of the net for fun. His performances earned him a place in Ruben Amorim’s first-team plans. Obi made his Premier League debut in February 2025 when he came on as a late substitute in a defeat at Tottenham Hotspur’s hands.

Obi made United history when, aged 17 days and 156 days old, he became United’s youngest-ever player to start a top-flight match against Brentford.

This term however, the Dane has had to be content with youth football. He has bounced between the Under-21s and Under-18s.

Many have viewed it as a demotion of sorts, considering he was heavily involved with the first team last season. However, Lawrence has insisted that his kind of backward development is exactly what Obi needed as he looks to launch his career at the highest level.

Lawrence discusses Obi

Lawrence told The Sun about how Obi has reacted to the change, “Credit to Chido. He has said ‘this is the situation that I’m in. This is what I’m working towards to help take my game to the next level and I’m doing after it.'”

“You’ve seen players go the other way. The key message that we get across to the players is ‘you don’t get this time back’, this developmental time where you sit in between the academy and the first team.”

On what comes next for Obi, Lawrence remarked, “The club were right to do what they did in the window just gone. It was the right time for Chido to stay in the building to get some rhythm, some consistency. Ultimately his level of progression and performance will dictate what happens in the summer.”

“The first team staff will look at players in pre-season, around tours, the games that they have and then decide what is best from there.We’re trying to prepare every player for the first team. If he made that much progression or he got to that stage, then obviously the first team would make that decision.”

“A lot can happen between now and then. It’s probably not an easy one to answer black and white, for now. But [between] first team wise and supporting underneath during pre-season, there’s definitely going to be opportunities for him.”

Asked about Obi’s breakthrough last season, Lawrence said, “The first team were light in that area of the pitch [back then]. It was a conscious decision at the start of the season for Chido to concentrate his development in the academy environment. I do think that has been a good thing for him on the whole. Sometimes the players get accelerated into the first team because they’ve got good potential.”

The United youth boss continued, “When you’ve had that first team exposure, naturally coming away is going to have an impact on the way you see things or give you that bit of disappointment.”

“We want players to STAY in the first team, not just go into the first team. And our job is to help prepare them to get to that level.”

Lawrence stressed that once a youngster breaks into the first team, expectations shift and there is little margin for error, as consistent performance becomes the standard. He pointed to Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has struggled for playing time this season, as an example.

Lawrence believes Obi has everything he needs at Old Trafford to succeed, noting that a number of coaches are available to help him improve different aspects of his game.

Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images

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