Man United hand first start to wonderkid Chido Obi, 17, as Ruben Amorim names youthful side for Brentford dead rubber

Manchester United have handed wonderkid Chido Obi his first start for the club against Brentford on Sunday afternoon.

Obi, 17, has become United's youngest-ever starter in the Premier League after catching Ruben Amorim's eye since joining from Arsenal last summer.

The prospect made his senior debut in a 1-0 defeat by Tottenham in February and has now been handed seven first-team appearances to date across all competitions.

He was spotted with the rest of the matchday squad before they took the train down to London on Saturday and was expected to be given minutes with Rasmus Hojlund benched ahead of the Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao.

Amorim named a youthful starting XI at the Gtech, his focus solely on Thursday's showdown. Obi will lead the line, supported by Alejandro Garnacho and Mason Mount, while youngsters Tyler Fredricson and Harry Amass were also selected.

'We need to focus a lot on our young players,' the United head coach said pre-match.

Manchester United handed Chido Obi his first start for the club against Brentford

Obi, 17, has impressed Ruben Amorim since arriving from Arsenal's youth ranks last summer

He has made seven first-team appearances and scored goals for United's U-18s and U-21s

'For me, it is not a massive game for Chido. I know it's important for Chido, but I don't want a lot of pressure on Chido.

'He played really well in the minutes against Wolverhampton. I feel he is ready to cope with the demands of the Premier League.'

Since being brought on as a 90th-minute substitute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Obi was given brief cameos against Everton, Leicester, Wolves and Bournemouth in the top-flight, and played 52 minutes against Fulham in the FA Cup.

The talented frontman has scored 12 goals in 10 games for United's U-18s and two goals in his first four appearances for the U-21s after taking a step up.

But despite Obi's meteoric rise to stardom at Old Trafford, Amorim has looked to ensure the teenager keeps his feet firmly on the ground.

'He's just told me to be humble and keep working hard every day,' Obi-Martin told United's in-house media channel. 'And hopefully, I get more opportunities soon.

'My dad and my mum always told me to be a good person and listen to my coaches because they want me to get better, so it's good.'

Obi added: 'I've learnt to be smart and to think quicker by training with the first team because the game is quicker compared to Academy football.

'It helps me a lot, training with them every day.'

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