Manchester United Loan Chido Obi to Willem II

Manchester United may have shut their window at 11pm on Tuesday, but their business did not end there.

The club have confirmed that 18-year-old forward Chido Obi has agreed a season-long loan move to Dutch side Willem II, with the switch subject to registration. The deal was still possible because clubs in the Netherlands had until midnight on Wednesday to finalise transfers, giving United a 24-hour grace period beyond the English deadline.

Obi, one of the brightest attacking talents in the academy, made his senior debut in February 2025 against Tottenham and has eight first-team appearances to his name. He spent last season spearheading the Under-21s, where he hit 15 goals in 31 games and underlined his potential as a prolific finisher at youth level.

Now he heads to Tilburg in search of regular senior football.

Busy summer in the academy

Obi’s departure continues a relentless churn of academy movement at Old Trafford over the summer. On deadline day itself, Jack Moorhouse agreed a loan move to Dundee, with United confirming that temporary switch on Wednesday evening.

They are not alone. Ethan Wheatley, Jacob Devaney and Jayce Fitzgerald have all left on loan in recent weeks, part of a deliberate push to expose more youngsters to first-team environments away from Manchester.

Alongside the loans, United have also cashed in on several academy graduates. Toby Collyer ended his spell at the club with a transfer to West Brom, a deal that could eventually be worth up to £7.6million. Promising goalkeeper Radek Vitek joined promotion-chasing Middlesbrough, in a move structured to potentially rise to around £14m.

In total, 26 players have left United this summer, either permanently or on loan. The club had aimed to bring in even more money through sales but again found it difficult to move on senior players deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.

So the exits have come from the academy instead, and Obi’s loan is the latest reminder: United’s rebuild is being shaped as much by who leaves as by who stays.