Manchester City sustained their first injury blow ahead of the upcoming 2024/2025 season with Oscar Bobb suffering a fractured fibula in training.
As per journalist Jack Gaughan, Bobb is now expected to be ruled out of action for three to four months.
The £25,000-a-week man seemed destined to have the season of his life — starting every game in pre-season as well as the FA Community Shield until misfortune struck him.
Karen Carney predicted Bobb to emerge as the Premier League’s best young player during the upcoming 2024/2025 season.
While Jill Scott claimed Bobb could stand out as the league’s best player as a whole.
But now that the Norwegian is set to be sidelined with injury for several months, Manchester City have reasons to be concerned.
Bobb injury could mean Bernardo Silva replaces him
With Bobb now being injured, it seems likely that Pep Guardiola could prefer Bernardo Silva over new-boy Savinho as his replacement.
Last season, the Portuguese international was the Catalan boss’ favoured option on the right-wing and he could favour his experience in the position, especially in the big games.
However, if Bernardo becomes Guardiola’s go-to right-winger this season, the worry is that City will lose quality in the middle of the park.
While Mateo Kovacic is a quality player, he lacks the former AS Monaco’s technician’s tenacity in the middle of the park to play in midfield throughout the entirety of the campaign at an elite level.
Furthermore, unlike during the 2018/2019 season or during City’s treble-winning campaign when Bernardo eventually proved he remains a world-class winger, his lack of pace and ability to beat players makes him ineffective out wide.
Why signing Bruno Guimaraes should be a huge priority for Man City now
However, if Pep Guardiola sticks to his guns and trusts the ex-Benfica attacker to replace Bobb, Manchester City’s requirement to sign Bruno Guimaraes increases further than in the past.
Unlike Kovacic, Guimaraes — branded as a “difference-maker” by Eddie Howe via BBC Sport — is a player who is brilliant defensively — likely due to his superior athleticism and experience as a holding midfielder at Newcastle.
The statistics — as per FbRef — paint a picture of the gulf in class between both midfielders defensively as well — with the Brazilian registering 2.42 tackles, 0.99 interceptions and 1.48 blocks per game over the past 365 days in comparison to the Croatian — who accumulated 1.93 tackles, 0.70 interceptions and 1.08 blocks.
If Bernardo, who is capable of blending bite and technical excellence, much like Guimaraes is out wide, his absence from the middle of the park will not be felt by City, especially against top sides.
Furthermore, unlike the six-time Premier League winner, Guimaraes would be the only midfielder at the Etihad Stadium who could both play his best football with and without Rodri in the side.
Bernardo, Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Kevin De Bruyne are all players who cannot play in holding midfield, unlike the 26-year-old.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Manchester City reckon Guimaraes still wishes to join them — and could decide to target his signature once again during the transfer window — even though the prospects of a move going through are slim, if not impossible.
However, after Bobb’s injury, it would certainly be worth City’s time to assess whether they could secure the former Lyon midfielder’s services.
