Manchester United wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin is about to show Arsenal what they are missing

At a time when Manchester United are in desperate need of a goalscorer, there is an irony that they arguably have the most exciting teenage striker in the country.

A lot was made of Chido Obi-Martin, or Chido Obi as the United team sheet acknowledges him, when he moved from Arsenal to Old Trafford last summer. The hype only grows with every goal he scores.

Despite the fact his season only started in October once Premier League ratification was given to his move, the 17-year-old has made up for lost time in spectacular style. He netted a hat-trick as United thrashed favourites Chelsea 5-1 in the Youth Cup on Wednesday night. It takes his tally to 15 goals across all competitions and seven in just three Youth Cup appearances.

It means he has now scored as many goals as Alejandro Garnacho did when United last won the youth tournament three years ago. There is a clear pathway from the academy to the first-team frame and Obi-Martin is certain to be given that chance at some point.

"He’s doing his job," Ruben Amorim said when asked about the teenager striker last week. "He’s improving, he’s playing in the youth teams, and also we have other players who can play that position Rasmus and Josh are there. We bought these two players, we need to improve them, and sometimes the confidence can change a player. We will see in the end of the season. But until then we have two strikers who can score goals, they’ve proved in the past, so let’s see if we can improve as a team to help them to score goals."

It would be a huge shock if Obi-Martin were involved when United travel to North London to face Tottenham in the Premier League this weekend, but all eyes will be on him when they travel to face Arsenal in the quarter-finals early next month. That will be the toughest test of his fledgling career and the opportunity to show his former side what they are missing while the expectation is on him to deliver.

The quirk of the Youth Cup is that the best youngsters don’t always play in it. Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are already in the Arsenal first-team, while Obi-Martin is still a teenage hopeful. If he stars in the next round, it won’t be long before he is playing against his former teammates at senior level instead.