Manchester City have only just bolstered their ranks following the belated arrival of 19-year-old, Claudio Echeverri, yet it is another teenage talent who is causing quite the fuss in the city at present.
There hasn’t been much to smile about for 15th-placed Manchester United of late, yet the rise of 17-year-old, Chido Obi, has been a rare bright spot in recent weeks, with the former Arsenal starlet looking lively off the bench in his cameos against Everton and Fulham.
Described as “a goal machine” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, the Danish youth international has been parachuted into Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad due to the club’s current centre-forward woes. While Erling Haaland boasts 20 Premier League goals this season at the Etihad, Rasmus Hojlund, by contrast, has netted just twice in the top flight for the Red Devils.
Obi too is yet to break his duck at senior level, yet having run academy defences ragged in recent times – including netting seven goals in just three FA Youth Cup appearances in 2024/25 – rival clubs may well be looking on enviously if he does begin to fire in Amorim’s 3-4-3 set-up.
Thankfully as far as Pep Guardiola and co are concerned, the Citizens may well be brewing their own prolific teenage academy star…
Man City’s academy stars
While Phil Foden and Rico Lewis may represent the most notable academy success stories at the club in recent times, it is hard to question the stunning production line that City have overseen in the Guardiola era.
Indeed, the likes of Liam Delap, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and James Trafford – just to name a few – have all been on the books at the Etihad at one stage, thus emphasising the pool of talent that has been nurtured in Manchester.
As for the current crop, hopes are high for a number of rising stars, with Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Nico O’Reilly – who netted a brace against Plymouth Argyle last time out – both having forced their way into Guardiola’s first-team reckoning.
Summer signing Divin Mubama is another who may be deserving of more first-team action following his fine goalscoring form since arriving from West Ham United, with the 20-year-old scoring seven goals in just six Premier League 2 appearances.
Watch out too for another former Hammers asset in Divine Mukasa – hailed as a “serious talent” by Mattinson – as well as 17-year-old Stefan Mfuni, who looks in line to be the club’s next Josko Gvardiol.
There are, of course, a succession of other youngsters who would be deserving of a mention, yet it’s time to turn attention to the starlet who could rival Obi as an elite centre-forward – 18-year-old, Matty Warhurst.
Man City’s answer to Chido Obi
As stated previously, it is Obi who leads the way in the FA Youth Cup with seven goals, with United having powered their way into the semi-finals after seeing off Arsenal last week, despite not actually being able to call upon their teenage talisman due to his first-team commitments.
|
FA Youth Cup top scorers – 24/25 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Club |
Goals |
|
Chido Obi |
Man Utd |
7 |
|
Mason Cotcher |
Aston Villa |
5 |
|
Tom Wingate |
Fulham |
5 |
|
Amin Nabizada |
Watford |
5 |
|
Shumaira Mhueka |
Chelsea |
4 |
|
Finlay Gorman |
Man City |
4 |
|
Emmerson Sutton |
QPR |
4 |
|
Cruz Allen |
Derby |
4 |
|
Matty Warhurst |
Man City |
4 |
Man City, meanwhile, also set up a last-four clash with Watford after hitting West Bromwich Albion for six last time out, with young Warhurst unsurprisingly among the scorers to bag his fourth goal in the competition this season.
A player who has admitted that he simply ‘loves scoring goals‘, the teenage marksman has remarkably chalked up 16 goals in 29 games across all fronts in 2024/25, as per Transfermarkt, placing him ahead of what even Foden has achieved in the senior setup (ten goals).
Much like Obi, the promising Englishman is just a menace at youth level, as indicated by his return of 34 goals in just 43 outings for City’s U18 side.
As the club website has stated, he is a ‘cool and calm finisher‘, while also possessing the ‘pace and clinical crossing’ to feature on the flanks when required. Youth team coach Ben Wilkinson also lauded his quality as a “goalscorer” last year:
“Listen, he’s a goalscorer, he’s in the right place all the time and he works incredibly hard, so he earns his goals.”
Such instincts were particularly on show during the 2023/24 campaign, with Obi – who netted 32 times – the only player to score more goals than Warhurst in the U18 Premier League, with the Man City man scoring on 21 occasions.
That goalscoring prowess speaks for itself, in truth, with it intriguing to see if the England youth international will follow in Obi’s footsteps and be afforded a chance in the senior ranks.
With Guardiola arguably still in need of an able deputy to Haaland, the legendary coach could do worse than turn towards his often fruitful academy before the season is out.
