Man Utd U18s won 3-1 against Man City on Saturday, with JJ Gabriel, Chido Obi and Jim Thwaites getting on the scoresheet.
15:28, 14 Feb 2026
Darren Fletcher shouted “Chido, well played” from the touchline in the first half of Manchester United Under-18s’ game against Manchester City. Chido Obi had just forced a save from the Manchester City goalkeeper and looked disappointed not to have scored.
In another passage of play, Obi was sent through into the box, but he was flagged offside. The youngster’s shoulders slumped, and Fletcher responded by shouting: “Keep your head up, Chido.”
Fletcher encouraged Obi throughout the U18 Manchester derby. The striker’s out-of-possession work has been identified as his biggest area for improvement, but he was excellent in that regard, pressing aggressively to help force a mistake from Harrison Miles for the opening goal.
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Miles’ heavy touch when attempting to play out from the back created an opportunity. Obi reacted quickly and pressured the ball, which led to JJ Gabriel picking it up and firing home.
Obi needs to learn to love the ugly side of being a centre-forward to return to the first team set-up. The youngster loves to score goals, but there are other duties a striker must excel at to become the finished article.
Gabriel broke the deadlock, and Obi was praised by his manager as he returned to the halfway line for the restart. Gabriel and Obi are a deadly partnership at U18 level. They both have the talent to reach the pinnacle of the game, but it’s matches like Saturday’s against City that will help them to develop.
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With seven minutes remaining, Obi got the reward for his diligent out-of-possession work when he gambled, as every striker should, by latching onto a long ball over the top of City’s backline.
In most cases, the ball probably would have been cleared, but Obi sniffed a potential opening and struck gold with a clinical finish. Fletcher looked delighted with him on the touchline.
United were the short-priced favourites to see out the victory after Obi’s goal. However, City produced an immediate response to halve the deficit through Tyrone Samba. The 18-year-old found the top corner from the edge of the box to set up a fascinating last few minutes of the academy Manchester derby.
City’s build-up became frantic as they chased a late equaliser. United soaked up the pressure and counter-attacked, which led to the Reds winning a free-kick around 20 yards out. Jim Thwaites was introduced to the game at half-time and confidently picked up the ball.
The inevitable happened. Thwaites has already built a reputation in the academy as a dead-ball specialist, and the technique to find the top left from the right side of the box was exquisite.
United won 3-1 to close the gap in the U18 North League table. City have been the pace-setters this season and are now a point ahead with three games in hand, but United’s victory should provide the youngsters with hope that the title race could go down to the final day of the campaign.
Fletcher was spotted deep in conversation with Michael Carrick after the final whistle. Carrick was present at City’s academy to watch his son play in the Under-16 Manchester derby on the adjacent pitch.
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It looked like Carrick received a debrief from Fletcher about his team’s superb performance. Carrick has shown a keen interest in the academy since his appointment as interim boss, unlike his predecessor, and his presence demonstrates that there is a pathway to the first team.
Each of the goalscorers against City, Gabriel, Obi and Thwaites, have taken part in first-team training sessions at Carrington. Carrick will cast his eye on academy prospects for as long as he’s in charge.
It will be fascinating to see if Obi is involved in another Premier League squad before the end of the season. Obi has been included in just a single squad, against Wolves on December 30, and his hopes of further involvement have been dashed by early cup exits and very few first-team injuries.
Obi only celebrated his 18th birthday in November and needs to “keep his head up”.
