Manchester City have had a topsy turvy start to the 2025/26 campaign, but they are gradually getting back into the groove with a seven-game unbeaten streak heading into the international break.
The Citizens are back in action in the Premier League on October 18 as they are hosting Everton at the Etihad Stadium with the hope of extending their streak.
While Pep Guardiola and his gameplay have remained at City, there have been an influx of many players including signings and academy graduates who have shaped the lineup.
One such player has been Oscar Bobb, who has been extremely impressive since his rise in 2023 and hence he was fast-tracked into the senior team.
Guardiola is a big admirer of the young forward and that's why he has featured in eight matches this season, including six games in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old is also getting a lot of limelight for Norway during the international breaks as he featured in the win against Israel in the World Cup qualifiers and also in the friendly against New Zealand.
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Norway were made to work hard against the All Whites as they needed a 62nd minute equalizer from Antonio Nusa to see out a 1-1 draw.
Following the friendly, Norward manager Stale Solbakken was extremely displeased with the 22-year-old's performances, and he was pretty vocal about it.
"He was very bad in the first half," Solbakken said after Norway’s 1-1 draw, as quoted by Fotball Norge. "He (Bobb) lacked everything today; spent a long time with the ball, positioned himself strangely and didn’t hit the pressing game."
"He’s done that in training and been very good at it. But if you ask Oscar, I think he’ll say that the first half was his weakest performance for the national team. The second half was the next weakest. I’m not wasting any energy on that. He has performed very, very well in almost every game, both further up the pitch and further out. It’s not a concern."
Pep Guardiola is highly impressed with Man City's Oscar Bobb
Bobb has been one of the brightest stars from the Man City academy in the recent years. He was so good that Guardiola allowed Cole Palmer to leave for Chelsea in 2023.
Since then, the 22-year-old has shown glimpses of his brilliance, but he has also struggled with injuries.
Overall, Bobb has everything needed in a modern winger with his exceptional technical ability, work ethic, ability to thread passes from tight angles while being comfortable in evading the press.
"I’m so happy he is back. I don’t know how long it is since he played 90 minutes maybe one year but he is so strong, so disciplined in defensive issues, incredible threat in small spaces," Guardiola said about the 22-year-old earlier this season.
"Hopefully he can be healthy. All I ask for him is to be healthy and strong in his head and I’m pretty sure he is going to help us in that position. He is another quality player from the Academy. In the last decade it has been unbelievable how many good players this club has created, there is an incredible team helping the Academy and I have a feeling right now in the EDS there are a lot of good players."
Guardiola and Bobb will hope that the display against New Zealand was a rare underwhelming outing as he has been generally pretty good for the Citizens.
The youngster is expected to start for City against Everton as they resume their Premier League action this Saturday.
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