Born in Dublin to Nigerian parents, the Obafemi family moved to East London before Michael was of school age. He progressed through the Chelsea and Arsenal academies before arriving at Watford. Released by them, aged 14 he questioned whether to pursue a footballing career but after a year out of the game he signed on with Orient and began to blossom as a fast and bustling forward full of exuberance both on and off the field.

Southampton had to pay a fee to add him to their U18 squad in the summer of 2016 and the following season he impressed Mauricio Pellegrino enough to be named on the substitute bench for the visit of Spurs in January 2018. When he replaced Manolo Gabbiadini in the 82nd minute he became – aged 17 years 199 days – Saints second youngest Premier League debutant, behind Luke Shaw. He then became the club’s youngest ever Premier League. goalscorer, the following December, when he found the net at Huddersfield, by which time he had been capped by the Republic of Ireland.

The following season he made 21 League appearances and scored a memorable goal at Stamford Bridge. His future looked assured, but he developed hamstring issues and new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl complained that his lifestlye and discipline were incompatible with the life of an elite sportsman. On his day with his body strength, low centre of gravity and pace he could be a real handful for defences but Hasenhuttl was not known for his patience. After an injury hit 2020-21 and with a year left on his contract he was allowed to join Swansea for a surprisingly low fee below £2m.