Manchester United have been extremely busy already this summer, making two expensive signings in the shape of highly-rated young defender Leny Yoro from Lille, and complete forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna.
Erik ten Hag will be chasing a return to the Champions League qualification spots going into the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, after making such strong signings so early in the transfer window.
But Manchester United’s new ownership model, INEOS, are also looking ahead to the future with their business, both 18-year-old Yoro, and 23-year-old Zirkzee being for the present and future.
Manchester United transfer news
According to reports from The Standard, Manchester United are looking to acquire Arsenal youngster Chido Obi-Martin, after his “schoolboy terms” expired at the club.
Discussions are understood to be at an early stage, and it remains to be seen where Obi-Martin will decide to play his football next season.
Fabrizio Romano has also reported Obi-Martin visiting other un-named English and German clubs, with him set to decide on his next club soon. Football Insider claim the player has received a ‘magnificent’ offer from the Red Devils.
Man Utd’s best young striker since Rooney?
Obi Martin – aged just 16 – made 21 appearances last season for Arsenal’s U18 side. In those fixtures, he scored an astonishing 32 goals and provided three assists. At the end of the season, Obi-Martin scored a simply mind-boggling 24 goals in seven U18 Premier League games, bringing praise from scout Jacek Kulig, calling the youngster “incredible“.
So, lofty heights are expected of him, then. Could he possibly even be their best young striker since Wazza? Wayne Rooney is another player who came through at an extremely early age, making a name for himself in the Everton academy ranks. He made his first senior appearance at 17-years-old and made 33 Premier League appearances that season for the Toffees.
That season, Rooney scored eight goals in all competitions, six of which came in the Premier League, as the 17-year-old ace totalled 1,586 minutes in his first top-flight campaign.
Obi-Martin, whilst it’s unlikely United are signing him with intentions of senior team minutes just yet, the question is there to be asked if he could see a meteoric rise, reminiscent of the path of Rooney when breaking onto the scene so early at Everton.
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Rooney early seasons comparison |
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|---|---|
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Season |
Premier League Goals |
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2002/03 |
6 |
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2003/04 |
9 |
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2004/05 |
11 |
|
2005/06 |
16 |
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Stats from Transfermarkt |
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As you can see from the table, Rooney starting at age 17 (Premier League season 2002/03) netted six Premiership goals. This increased to nine the following year, earning him a move to Manchester United, where he went up another level.
In the four seasons analysed, Rooney’s goals per minute showed a good increase, going from 0.18 in his first season (2002/03), rising to 0.26, then to 0.38, and then to 0.44 in the 2005/06 season.
Whilst it’s early days, and very hard to take stats from youth level, and compare them against senior-level metrics, Obi-Martin is showing signs of a prolific goalscorer, the same signs United saw in Rooney when signing him from Everton, and that is something to keep an eye on.
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He’s been an excellent servant during his time at Old Trafford.
