Manchester United Completes Chido Obi Loan to Willem II

Manchester United’s summer business is not quite finished after all.

With the English transfer window shut at 11pm on Tuesday, United have still managed to move 18-year-old forward Chido Obi out on loan, confirming a season-long switch to Dutch side Willem II, subject to registration.

The deal lands thanks to different deadlines across Europe. While Premier League and EFL clubs had to wrap up incoming and outgoing transfers by Tuesday night, Dutch clubs were given until midnight on Wednesday to finalise their squads. United used that extra 24-hour window, announcing Obi’s move a day after England’s cut-off.

Obi made his senior United debut in February 2025 against Tottenham and has since collected eight first-team appearances. Last season he operated mainly with the Under-21s, where he showed his scoring touch with 15 goals in 31 games. Willem II now becomes the next step in his development, offering regular senior minutes in the Eredivisie.

Busy summer for United’s academy

Obi is the latest name on a long list of academy products heading out the door in what has been a hectic summer for United’s youth setup.

On deadline day itself, Jack Moorhouse agreed a loan move to Dundee, with the club confirming his temporary switch on Wednesday evening. He follows a growing group of youngsters seeking first-team football elsewhere, including Ethan Wheatley, Jacob Devaney and Jayce Fitzgerald, who have all departed on loan during this window.

United have not just relied on loans. Several academy graduates have left permanently for significant fees. Toby Collyer ended his spell at Old Trafford with a move to West Brom in a deal that could rise to £7.6million. Promising goalkeeper Radek Vitek joined promotion-chasing Middlesbrough, with that transfer potentially worth up to £14m.

In total, 26 players have left United this summer, either on permanent deals or on loan. The club had aimed to raise even more through sales, but once again found it difficult to shift senior players considered surplus to requirements.

So the academy carries the weight: prospects moving out to play, to grow, and, in some cases, to fund the rebuild. The question now is how many of them, like Obi, will return ready to shape United’s future rather than just help pay for it.