When Rasmus Hojlund sustained a muscle injury a day before Manchester United played Fulham, there was no doubt in Erik ten Hag’s mind about who his replacement should be.
Omari Forson, the talented 19-year-old brought into the first-team environment by Ten Hag last summer, was swiftly informed that he was going to be making his first start for United.
Instead of turning to Antony, whom the United manager signed for €100million (now £85m; $108m) in 2022, Ten Hag opted to put his faith in Forson. The United manager has been talking about starting him for some time now.
The teenager made a steady impression, starting on the right wing and sometimes playing through the middle, during the 53 minutes he was on the pitch. On one occasion, he received the ball in the attacking third, put his foot over the top of it, observed his options, and then proceeded to charge at Antonee Robinson.
Although the attack amounted to nothing, it showed a player confident in his ability to make something happen. There were also regular exchanges with Ten Hag on the sideline, most notably with Diogo Dalot in the first half, to ensure he was tactically executing what had been asked.
“He had some good actions and it was a reasonable performance, it is never easy especially when it is a slow start,” Ten Hag said when asked to reflect on Forson’s display against Fulham. “He was reliable in his job.”
Despite training with the first team since the summer, Forson is yet to have a place in the senior dressing room, meaning he still gets changed with the under-21s. This is partly down to space, but also due to the prestige they put on earning a spot in the first team.
Forson made his first Manchester United start against Fulham (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Kobbie Mainoo, for example, only started using the first-team dressing room a month ago, even though he has been a regular starter for Ten Hag since his first Premier League start against Everton in November.
In the background, there remains a significant cloud over Forson’s future at United. He is out of contract in the summer and is yet to sign the competitive terms that have been offered by the club.
He has been represented by Sports Invest UK, the agency led by Kia Joorabchian, since the end of last year.
Industry sources, not linked to United, noted how playing Forson against Fulham would “hamper” the club on the contractual side, pointing to the fact that it will raise his profile, which could make it more difficult to keep him.
United, however, would argue that by playing him, it shows there is a clear pathway into the first team.
Ten Hag, who is fond of Forson, would not have picked him to get a contract signed. The Dutchman went with him over Antony as he felt Forson gave the club a better chance of winning and deserved his spot in the starting XI.
Forson’s youth career started at West Ham United, but he left for Tottenham Hotspur in the year he was due to start playing for their under-12s.
The recruitment department at Spurs were alerted to the fact that Forson was going to be leaving their London rivals and quickly had him through the door. His age group at the club included Alfie Devine, Dane Scarlett and Nile John and he was one of the standout players.
“He is a really good lad; a London lad,” said a source who knew Forson at Spurs, speaking anonymously to protect relationships. “He was a great trainer and is obsessed with football.
“He has a bit of Christian Eriksen about him, where he has the creativity, but also a powerful side where he can carry the ball. He was a focused, determined and talented young lad.
“Omari was very confident and although he was young, and this is a reflection of his parents, he was respectful but he had an assurance and belief in himself — but the top players have lots of that.”
Those inside the academy at Spurs noticed similarities between Forson and Noni Madueke, who is two years older and now at Chelsea, due to their ability to be able to create more centrally and be effective out wide.
But just as he did at West Ham, Forson, aged 15, alerted Spurs that he wanted to leave.
Because of his age, Forson could not have had an agent and his parents would have been responsible for handling all of his affairs. The idea that any of his academy moves, be it from West Ham to Spurs or from Spurs to United, were motivated by money, however, was quickly dismissed.
“His dad, Ernest, was an Uber driver and used to bring him into training,” the Spurs source added. “They were really supportive and just lovely people. It was never about money; it was about pathway, opportunity and playing in the team.
“It was always a football conversation and that isn’t often the case with young players nowadays.”
There was no big fallout between Forson’s family and Spurs, everything was done amicably and United, who initially had him in at Carrington for a trial, paid a fixed fee under the training and compensation scheme.
“The sacrifice the family made to move to Manchester was a big one,” a source added.
Joining United in January 2019, Forson has risen through the ranks of United’s youth system, playing a role in their FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2022, where he featured alongside fellow first-team players Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.
Ten Hag decided to bring Forson on United’s pre-season trip to the United States last summer and he has remained with the senior squad since then.
In the U.S., he started against Borussia Dortmund but was replaced by Ten Hag in the 37th minute after clashing with Karim Adeyemi a few minutes earlier, with both players being booked. Forson then reacted to a challenge from Julian Ryerson before squaring up to Adeyemi.
“When there is a VAR, he gets sent off,” Ten Hag said of Forson after the match. “He played a good game and the opponent gets annoyed with him so that is a learning curve but don’t take it into your own hands.”
Despite this, those who have witnessed Ten Hag coaching Forson note how the pair have a good relationship.
“He (Forson) looked so focused,” said a source who has observed a training session at Carrington. “Erik has done a brilliant job with him and he has involved him in a lot of things, and first-team managers don’t always buy into younger players. Erik is a big advocate of his.”
United sources noted how Forson’s big development in recent months has been his athleticism, pointing out that he is much more powerful now and saying there is still lots more to come.
The club will hope that Forson starting against Fulham will prove to him that there is a clear pathway into the first team — the problem they will have is that there are multiple teams across Europe tracking his situation.
With Hojlund out for the next two to three weeks, you would expect Forson to continue to receive chances in the first team.
Should Forson leave United at the end of this season, it would be a blow. They would receive compensation, but the loss of a promising youngster is often viewed as a damning indictment.
Additional reporting: Laurie Whitwell
(Top photo: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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