Manchester United given FA Youth Cup injury blow that could hand Chido Obo-Martin chance to shine

Man Utd face Preston in the FA Youth Cup fourth-round on Friday night, but the hat-trick hero from the previous round will miss the game.

Manchester United will be without their top scorer in academy football this season for their FA Youth Cup fourth-round tie against Preston North End on Friday night.

Gabriele Biancheri is set to miss a month after undergoing surgery on a minor injury, but it will rule him out of the fixture at Leigh Sports Village. He took to social media on Wednesday to post a photo from his hospital bed with his right arm in a sling, confirming he had surgery and with the message 'Back soon'.

The Wales youth international has 16 goals in 17 games for United's age-group sides this season and struck a hat-trick in the Under-18s third-round win against Coventry City.

Biancheri had been involved in United's last four Premier League 2 games at Under-21 level and was making an impact at the academy with his goalscoring this season.

Against Coventry City in round three, Biancheri started from the left with Chido Obo-Martin leading the line. The 17-year-old former Arsenal striker scored the other two goals in a 5-0 win.

Obi-Martin is now likely to become the main man in an attacking sense for the U-18s and Biancheri's injury could hand him chances at U-21 level. The young Danish striker is yet to feature in Premier League 2 since his move from Arsenal, but he has seven goals in six games for the U-18s.

Biancheri's performances have caught the eye of United's coaches this season and he also has eight goals in eight games for Wales U-19s. He could soon be promoted to the U-21s, with Wales keen to retain his services. He is also eligible to represent England and Italy.