Manchester United raided Arsenal in the summer to sign their best young striker, Chido Obi-Martin.

After weeks of waiting, Chido Obi-Martin made his Manchester United academy debut.

United actually wasted little time integrating Obi-Martin. The delay came from the Premier League ratifying the move, which was agreed in the summer and only completed in the final days of September.

United fans have high hopes for Obi-Martin, who scored 32 goals for Arsenal's under-18s last season in just 19 games.

So there was a little extra attention on United's under-18s game against Sunderland at the weekend, with Obi-Martin named on the bench.

Two goals from Bendito Mantato in the opening 20 minutes made it look like United's youngsters would cruise to a win to continue their 100 per cent record.

Sunderland pulled a goal back before half-time before defender Reece Munro made it 3-1 to United, and then the Black Cats netted twice to tie the game at 3-3 with 30 minutes to go.

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At this point Chido Obi-Martin was sent on for his debut, an opportunity to become a hero.

Instead it was another substitute to stole the limelight, with attacking midfielder Jim Thwaites netting a 87th minute winner to take United to a 4-3 victory.

Thwaites' confidence running with the ball in the final third opened up space to shoot and his effort from outside the box ended up nestling in the bottom corner.

Jim Thwaites making an impact It was not a surprise to see Jim Thwaites do this. He has been Manchester United's under-18s super-sub during 2024.

Thwaites scored a late equaliser early in the year to maintain the team's unbeaten record on the way to winning the league title. The team did lose one game late in the campaign but Thwaites ensured they stayed unbeaten for a couple of months longer than they did.

His goal helped Thwaites to win the goal of the season award in two age groups, the under-16s and under-18s.

Thwaites made his under-18s debut at just 15. Still only 16, United are being patient with him. He has not started a single game yet this campaign in the league.

United have used Thwaites six times as a substitute this season, and he has two goals and one assist, despite not even playing a full half in a single game.

The young midfielder continues to show promise and this was another reminder he can't be kept back for too long. He has two under-21 appearances under his belt too.

Chido Obi-Martin will be a goalscoring hero on another day. This time it was Jim Thwaites who grabbed the spotlight.

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