Manchester United Loan Chido Obi to Willem II After Deadline

Manchester United’s window officially closed at 11pm on Tuesday. Their outgoing business did not.

The club have confirmed that 18-year-old forward Chido Obi has agreed a season-long loan move to Dutch side Willem II, with the switch subject to registration. The deal was completed after the English deadline thanks to the later cut-off in the Netherlands, where clubs had until midnight on Wednesday to finalise transfers.

So while the Premier League door shut, a Dutch one stayed open just long enough for United to move.

Obi made his senior United debut in February 2025 against Tottenham and has since collected eight first-team appearances. Last season he did his damage at youth level, leading the line for the Under-21s and scoring 15 goals in 31 games, a return that underlined why United want him tested in a senior environment.

His move continues a hectic summer of academy traffic at Old Trafford.

Deadline Day Moves

On deadline day itself, midfielder Jack Moorhouse agreed a loan switch to Dundee, with United confirming that temporary exit on Wednesday evening. Before them, a string of youngsters had already headed out in search of minutes: Ethan Wheatley, Jacob Devaney and Jayce Fitzgerald are among the other academy products to have left on loan.

The clear-out has not been limited to temporary deals. United have also cashed in on several graduates.

• Toby Collyer ended his spell at Old Trafford with a permanent move to West Brom, a transfer that could be worth up to £7.6million.
• Promising goalkeeper Radek Vitek joined promotion-chasing Middlesbrough in a deal that may rise to around £14m.

In total, 26 players departed United over the summer, either permanently or on loan. The volume is striking, yet it still fell short of the club’s ambitions: United had hoped to raise more through sales and once again found it difficult to move on senior players deemed surplus to requirements.

The academy, as so often in recent years, has carried much of the movement – and with Obi now heading to Willem II, another of United’s prospects will try to turn potential into something more tangible on a different stage.