England striking legends Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney have showered plaudits on Chido Obi-Martin after his performance for Manchester United against Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Obi-Martin, who has Nigerian blood but plays for Denmark at youth international level, made his third senior appearance for United when he replaced Rasmus Hojlund in the second half on Sunday.
The 17-year-old forward looked far more threatening and livelier and could have scored with a close-range effort, but Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno denied him.
United went on to lose the tie 4-3 on penalties after regulation time and extra-time ended 1-1.
Despite the Red Devils’ ouster, Shearer was full of praise for the former Arsenal academy player.
“He’s been a real handful in there, you know,” the 1994/1995 Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers said on BBC Sport.
“He’s certainly offered a lot more than Hojlund has when he was on the pitch. He’s been a nuisance and tough to play against.
“I like what I see from Obi, I really do. He’s certainly given them a different option to play with.”
United’s all-time leading scorer Rooney also hailed the young striker, noting: “What I’ve really liked about him is he’s put himself in some really good positions.
“I’ve been really impressed by him. He looked like the one who could go on and nick it.”
Obi-Martin was born in Glostrup, Denmark to Nigerian parents and has played for the European country’s U-16s, U-17s and U-18s.
He joined Arsenal’s academy in 2022 and made the move to Manchester United last September.
