Chido Obi started up front for Man Utd U21s as they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Real Madrid at Old Trafford.

On Tuesday night, there was an opportunity to counter-attack against Real Madrid, but Chido Obi’s pass was delayed because he failed to get the ball out of his feet quickly enough.

The moment of dithering allowed Madrid to get back in numbers and stop the move from developing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time Obi had been guilty of moving his feet quickly enough this season.

Obi represented Manchester United’s Under-21s against Madrid. The truth is that if his link-up play still requires work at academy level, he is further away from a permanent first-team breakthrough than he would like.

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United categorised the Premier League International Cup quarter-final against Madrid as a ‘Grade A game’, a status given to important academy fixtures for which the best young players are made available.

Shea Lacey trains with the first team day-to-day but did not travel to the Republic of Ireland for the four-day training camp in order to be involved. Obi would have been considered for the Carton House trip, but United wanted to field a strong academy team.

The game was an opportunity for academy players who are closest to a first-team breakthrough to prove their quality against top opposition. Obi won the penalty for Lacey’s goal, but Real Madrid’s goalkeeper made the mistake with a heavy touch, and Obi didn’t really land a proper blow during the contest.

United did not create many chances after taking a two-goal lead within the first 15 minutes, which is relevant context to Obi’s performance. However, he didn’t do enough off the ball to have an impact on the game.

There were further shouts of ‘Chido!’ from Adam Lawrence on the touchline. “When a coach is tough on players, or they spend more time with them, it means that they really, really believe in the player,” said Lawrence recently when asked about constant shouts at Obi.

United coaches have kept on top of Obi during matches this season, providing encouragement and instructions to get more out of him, and his off-the-ball work has improved since the start of the campaign.

Obi’s performance against Manchester City in the Under-18 derby was an example of that. He was brilliant, pressing aggressively, and academy coaches agreed it was his finest off-the-ball display of the season.

The Madrid game was a bigger challenge, against better opposition in a higher age group. Obi’s performance was reminiscent of some of his early-season displays, and such deficiencies are not acceptable at first-team level, which suggests he needs a loan next term.

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“His level of progression and performance will dictate what happens in the summer,” said Lawrence. “I think for Chido, it’s maximising between now and the end of the season, all the opportunities that he’s going to get.

“Pre-season is when the first-team staff will look at players and then decide what is best for them. We’re trying to prepare every player for the first-team environment. If he made that much progress or he got to that stage, then obviously the first team would make that decision.

“A lot can happen between now and pre-season. It’s probably not an easy one to answer in black and white, but there’s definitely going to be opportunities there for him. It would just be where his game is at that specific time to dictate what happens next.”

Obi will get a first-team audition during pre-season, especially as several senior players will be representing their respective nations at the World Cup while United’s preparations get underway.

However, this season’s evidence is more conclusive than a handful of summer friendlies will ever be, meaning plans should be put in place to find Obi a suitable loan in Europe from the moment 2025/2026 comes to a close.

United have sent the majority of academy loanees to British clubs over the last few years. A recent relationship has been developed with FC Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland, but that is due to the Ineos ownership link.

It wouldn’t be the right choice to send Obi down the divisions in England given where his game is. The Championship is where United tend to send highly rated youngsters on loan, but Obi does not look ready to cut it in one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world.

Obi would benefit from a loan to a European league with a slightly lower tempo and less physicality. The Eredivisie in the Netherlands feels like a good fit for the young striker’s next move, for example.

United have a general rule of keeping their most talented prospects within the building, as they can include them in first-team training and provide senior minutes from the bench in cup competitions to help them establish themselves, but Obi would learn more during a season on loan in Europe.

There is no doubt that Obi has benefited from the decision to keep him in the academy this season. Despite struggling to get involved against Madrid, he has otherwise looked much better out of possession.

A season away from Manchester is the obvious next step for his development. He only celebrated his 18th birthday in November and still has significant potential.