Man United's Chido Obi closes in on loan move to Willem II with Isak path in mind

Manchester United striker Chido Obi is on the verge of a loan move to Eredivisie side Willem II, with a decision expected before the Netherlands transfer window closes at 11pm BST on Wednesday. The 18-year-old Denmark under-21 international also has interest from Feyenoord and clubs in Denmark, where the window shuts at the same time.

Obi and his representatives are weighing up the options alongside United, who are keen to send the teenager out for regular first-team football. The forward has made just eight senior appearances to date, and a productive loan spell in the Eredivisie is seen as the logical next step in his development.

Willem II carry a notable precedent for this kind of move. Alexander Isak spent the second half of the 2018-19 season on loan there from Borussia Dortmund, scoring 14 goals in 18 appearances and earning a £9 million transfer to Real Sociedad — a stepping stone that eventually led to his emergence as one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers. Obi has drawn stylistic comparisons to the Liverpool forward throughout his early career, with one observer describing him as having “languid running and technical ability” similar to the Swede.

The parallels with Isak are not lost on those around Obi, though the bar is a high one. Isak arrived at Willem II with 29 AIK appearances and 13 Dortmund outings already behind him — considerably more experience than Obi carries into a potential debut loan.

Willem II’s track record with young strikers extends beyond Isak. Vangelis Pavlidis joined on loan from Bochum during that same 2018-19 season, scored six goals in 17 games, and was subsequently signed permanently. He went on to score 80 goals for AZ before moving to Benfica. Kostas Tsimikas also spent time on loan at the Tilburg club before eventually signing for Liverpool, while Frenkie de Jong and Virgil van Dijk both passed through their academy at a young age.

Willem II were promoted back to the Eredivisie last season via the Eerste Divisie play-offs, giving Obi the prospect of top-flight Dutch football if the deal is finalised before tonight’s deadline.