Two Man United academy stars could benefit if Joshua Zirkzee leaves in January
Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee is desperate to seal an exit in January.
The Dutchman arrived from Bologna last summer in a £36.5 million deal, but his dream Old Trafford move has quickly turned sour.
He is “deeply frustrated” with his playing time this campaign, having seen just 82 minutes of action across four outings.
Only youngsters Tyler Fredricson and Ayden Heaven have played fewer minutes in the 2025/26 season.
If Zirkzee is loaned out after the turn of the year, it could finally open the door for two exciting academy prospects.
Chido Obi
The 17-year-old made his senior debut for the Red Devils last campaign.
He also travelled with Ruben Amorim’s squad for their post-season trip to Hong Kong and Malaysia, where he grabbed two goals and left a strong impression.
Obi is widely regarded as one of the most gifted young strikers in Europe.
He has already outgrown academy football, smashing 17 goals in just 21 youth-team appearances.
Having started out at Arsenal’s academy, he switched to United in search of a clearer pathway to first-team football.
There is still plenty of fine-tuning needed in his game, but Obi could soon emerge as a reliable rotation option alongside Benjamin Sesko.
Gabriele Biancheri
While Obi has dominated the headlines, Biancheri has quietly built a reputation as one of United’s most consistent youth forwards.
The 2006-born attacker has returned an impressive 37 goals and 10 assists in 71 academy appearances.
He has shown versatility by starting on the left wing spot to accommodate Obi through the middle.
Biancheri was close to securing a loan spell in the summer, but the club held off as they could not find the right project.
The Welsh youth international is now progressing with the Under-21s.
He may be behind Obi in the pecking order, but Amorim will surely be tempted to hand him a senior chance before the season is over.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .