Arteta breaks silence on Chido Obi’s Arsenal exit ahead of Man Utd clash

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken for the first time since Chido Obi left the club for Manchester United.

Arteta could come face-to-face with the teenage striker this weekend as both sides prepare to clash on Sunday.

The Gunners are 13 points behind Liverpool at the top of the table and are looking to keep their slim title hopes alive.

United have been woeful in front of goal, and the poor form of Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee has given Chido Obi a chance in the first team.

The 17-year-old was tipped to be the next big thing at Arsenal after scoring for fun in their academy.

But last summer, the Danish striker made the shock decision to leave for United.

When asked about Obi-Martin’s departure, Arteta said: “I wasn’t too involved in that decision.

“When a player decides the best pathway is to leave, there’s not much you can do.

“Very unfortunate because we want to keep our players from the academy and for them to be very successful with the first team, but in this case, we were unable to do that.”