Pep Guardiola says Oscar Bobb can be a Manchester City star for many years to come if he decides to stay for the long term rather than looking for more minutes elsewhere, as his fellow academy graduate Cole Palmer did when leaving for Chelsea last summer.
Bobb underlined his prodigious potential on Saturday, with the 20-year-old coming off the bench in the 82nd minute at Newcastle United and scoring a stoppage-time winner, securing a 3-2 win with his first Premier League goal. But Guardiola recognises the challenge Bobb faces trying to earn starts in such a competitive squad.
“We have another player for many years for us if he decides to stay, as for now he is happy with his minutes, like Cole Palmer was happy with his minutes," Guardiola told Man City's website.
“But after two or three years they want more and it’s natural. Its completely understandable and maybe I don’t give them the minutes and they decide to go. If he decides to stay, we have a player for many, many years.
Bobb's winner at Newcastle
The @Sure Move of the Match just had to be the sensational winner! 💫@KevinDeBruyne 🔗 @OscarBobb2 pic.twitter.com/ovuM3QK6Ev
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 14, 2024
“I don’t know what happens with players in the academy. Look at Cole Palmer - he is doing really well at Chelsea and I’m so happy for him, and all the players [like] Rico [Lewis] and Phil [Foden].
“And it’s important for us and for the club to bring players from the academy and help us, you know.
“When Jack [Grealish] has had problems this season and John Stones and now Manu [Akanji], Kevin [De Bruyne] and Erling [Haaland] out, an important part of the season is November and December with a lot of games and important players were not there and Oscar helped us.
“That is great, it’s really, really great."
Guardiola has revealed that Man City's director of football Txiki Begiristain played a key role in Bobb's promotion from the academy to the first team.
“Txiki at the end of last season said to me that in the Under-23s Oscar Bobb was the best player by far and I said, 'OK [he’ll] go to Japan [on our summer tour] to start to train with us,'" said Guardiola.
“And immediately Oscar got something that is the most important thing. That is to rely on his mates. It’s more important than relying on the manager. When the [team-mates] can say, ‘OK, this player can play with us,' that is the best success. And it was immediately.
"He can play in five positions: striker, right wing, left, in the pockets... [He is] so dynamic and the work ethic is unbelievable.
“Here [at Newcastle] in the Carabao Cup, in the first half of that game, he was outstanding the way he played, and he doesn’t feel much the pressure."
Bobb will aim to add to his 14 appearances for Man City in all competitions this season when Guardiola's side visit Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup fifth round next Friday, 26 January, before the champions return to Premier League action with a home match against Burnley on Wednesday 31 January.
