The 'magician' outshone his compatriot Erling Haaland in the first game of the tour and is being backed to become a regular starter for Pep Guardiola
The Manchester City fans who braved weather warnings and were briefly forced to evacuate the Kenan Stadium had mostly come to see one man. Erling Haaland was the name on the lips of fans wearing blue for the team’s first game of their pre-season tour of the U.S. against Celtic and the striker duly delivered by scoring a header.
But the most famous player to come out of Norway was not the standout performer on the night in the 4-3 defeat by Brendan Rodgers’ side. He wasn’t even the best player from his country. That was Oscar Bobb.
The 21-year-old had shown flashes of his enormous potential in his breakthrough season with City and his performance in Chapel Hill was the equivalent of him smacking both fists on the door of Pep Guardiola’s office and demanding to play more. Bobb is the fourth academy graduate to make in-roads into the City team within the last five years and three paths have been drawn out in front of him.
Rico Lewis is still getting smatterings of minutes here and there but lacking consistent opportunities. Phil Foden is one of the best players at City and indeed the Premier League, although he too had to wait his turn. Then there is Cole Palmer, who got itchy feet amid the lack of regular football at the Etihad and then exploded at Chelsea, proving himself as one of the best forwards in the league, only trailing Haaland in goals last season. So which path will Bobb take?
Getty Sublime assists
Bobb either scored or set up all three of City’s goals against Celtic in Chapel Hill. He was the first City player to strike and then produced two wonderful assists. His sumptuous cross to Erling Haaland helped his compatriot equalise, though the pick of the bunch was his build-up play for Maximo Perrone’s goal to make it 3-2.
He toyed with two defenders down the wing while also holding the play up to give his team-mates time to get forward, eventually laying the ball off to the Argentine to easily score. It was a move that Mikal Aaserud, who coached Bobb between the age of 11 and 14 at Lyn 1896 in Oslo, had seen before.
The day after the game the club’s Instagram account replayed the move he had pulled off with them as a child, playing it side-by-side with the assist for Perrone. The similarities were uncanny.
AdvertisementGetty 'Like a magician'
Aaserud has coached other players who have made it as professionals, but the excitement in his voice is tangible when he recalls seeing Bobb for the first time.
“It was really something extraordinary, he did things with the ball you just just can't imagine a young player doing. Taking on people one-on one, one against two, one against three and getting past them. Like some sort of magician,” Aaserud tells GOAL.
“He could just do things you couldn't believe but at the same time, he was so mature in terms of making choices on the pitch. He wasn’t selfish. He was actually not selfish enough, playing the pass instead of scoring goals himself. He had this playfulness. He could just take on people, wherever on the pitch but also he was very mature when he was about to choose the right thing for the team on the pitch.”
Bobb left Lynn when he was 14 after being scouted by Porto. However, FIFA’s rules against transferring underage players meant he never got to play for the Portuguese giants, despite moving over there with his family. He was forced to return to Norway, joining another Oslo club, Valerenga.
He moved to City’s academy at the age of 16 and got promoted to the first team for last year’s pre-season tour of Asia, just days after his 20th birthday. He was one of the most impressive players on the tour and soon after made his Premier League debut off the bench against Fulham.
Getty 'So many obstacles'
He was slowly drip fed more minutes as the season progressed, getting his first assist in the drubbing of Bournemouth and his first goal in the Champions League win at Red Star Belgrade, which was also his first start.
"So many factors come in when you are on the way to being good, to being becoming a professional but he was the best we had. If anyone could be very good and be a top Premier League player, it would be him," Aaserud says. "He's gone through so many obstacles to make it so you just can't take it for granted."
Bobb's most memorable moment came at Newcastle in January, when he combined with Kevin De Bruyne to score in injury time and snatch a 3-2 victory which at the time was hailed as a crucial moment in the title race. It proved to be the case as City pipped Arsenal to the crown by just two points while the goal was nominated for the Premier League goal of the season award.
Bobb ended the campaign with 26 appearances in all competitions, seven of which were starts. Aaserud is positive about the amount of games Bobb was given, which he said was more than he expected given the competition within Guardiola’s squad.
His minutes were remarkably similar to the amount Phil Foden got in his breakthrough season and near identical to Palmer’s in his final season with City before leaving for Chelsea. The difference is that Foden and Bobb were in their first seasons with the first team, while Palmer was in his third, having made his debut in 2020.
Getty Ready to wait
There was some speculation that Bobb could leave on loan or permanently amid interest from Newcastle and Chelsea but the player batted it away the day before facing Celtic, stressing that the benefits of playing under Guardiola outweigh the minutes he could get elsewhere.
"Playing for this manager has always been a dream. If I have to wait a bit longer to get more playing time I don't mind," he said. "I look at the players in my position, Bernardo Silva or Phil Foden. They're consistent every session, every game. I can work and become a lot better. It's about constantly raising my level and becoming more consistent."
Bobb also cited Foden specifically as an example to follow: "With Phil's talent there was no question he was going to break through. It took some time, people said he should go and get playing time. He waited and it paid off. There has been times I thought it would be hard, but as soon as I got the smallest opportunity there are no other options."
Aaserud, who now works as a sports journalist for Norwegian website VG and last year was a correspondent in Manchester, is confident that Bobb has the patience to stay at City and fight for his place in the team. "He has something very healthy, he is patient and also impatient," he explains.
"He has this drive, he wants to convince the manager, but he still understands that he's in such a good club and such a good place. I interviewed him before the FA Cup final and and I feel he's very sincere when he talks about feeling blessed to play under who he thinks is the best manager in the world.
"I believe that he is looking up to Phil Foden, what he has done and understands that there's a possibility [to become a City regular]. I think he's going to fight with everything he has to make that happen."