The amount of talent Manchester United has created from their academy over the years is astronomical. Of course, we can go back to the days of the Busby Babes, the beginning of the Premier League era, when the class of ’92 exploded on the scene, or more recently, when Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford raised the academy flag.
Today, Cobbie Mine is the only academy alumnus who truly established himself on his first team. It, in many ways, is a sad reflection of the club’s current state, and once took pride in the homemade star.
Still, a few academy players are around the first team’s team, with one of the most well-known players being Chido Obi.
Chido Obi’s Man United Career Career
It was an intriguing move for many when the Red Devils secured Obi’s signature after leaving Arsenal last summer. The 17-year-old joined United with a huge reputation in academy football.
His record at the youth level is phenomenal. For United under 18, he scored 12 goals in 10 games and 8 five goals under 21. During his stay at Arsenal, Denmark Youth International scored 32 goals in just 21 games for the under-18 Gunners side.
With that record in mind, it was probably not surprising that Obi made his first team debut at United last season. He hasn’t played this season yet, but the 17-year-old has already notched eight appearances. He also scored twice for the first team on the postseason tour at the end of 2024/25.
One guy who knows one or two things about being a top-level striker is Alan Shearer. The top goalscorer in the Premier League was impressed by the youngsters after his FA Cup effort with Fulham last season. Shearer said, “I like what I see from Obi’s perspective,” describing him as a “handful” for the defender.
Obi is certainly an exciting talent and another alumnus of United Academy. However, he is not the only top attacker to pass Carrington’s ranks.
Man Utd may have the next Wayne Rooney
Under Reuben Amorim, the number of academy alumni involved in the first team has declined significantly, but there are still routes available. Obi’s rank rise certainly proved that.
Well, perhaps the next one on that path would be 17-year-old Amir Ibragimov. A versatile attacker can manipulate as No. 8 and No. 10 in the middle and play on both sides. He certainly made a big impression after his academy performance.
Ibragimov has an impressive record of 11 goals and nine assists in 33 games in the Under-18 Premier League. The 2024/25 season was his first full campaign in the competition, with him choked up 14 goals and assists in 22 games.
Ibragimov’s record in the U18S Premier League | ||
|---|---|---|
season | game | Goals and Assistance |
2022/23 | 5 | 1 |
2023/24 | 2 | 1 |
2024/25 | twenty two | 14 |
2025/26 | 4 | 4 |
Statistics from TransferMarkt | ||
One of the biggest tributes paid to Ibragimov came from postal journalists Nathan Salt and Isan Khan. They compared the United young man to one of the greatest greats of all time, Wayne Rooney, because of his “vision and ability to choose the pass of his offensive.”
Of course, it’s not easy to replicate what Rooney did with that famous red shirt. However, according to Antonio Mango, the 17-year-old has “dangerous” attacking abilities and, as his numbers show, can make a real impact in the final third.
There’s a long way to go before Ibragimov shows similarities with Rooney on the first team. But the way he played for the Red Devils academy is certainly in the future.
Perhaps he can quickly follow Obi’s path and enter the upper side. If he had Rooney succeeded for United, Ibragimov would have had an impressive career.
