Ahead of tonight’s game between Red Star Belgrade and Manchester City, Neil Lennon suggested that Oscar Bobb was like a cross between Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez.
Bobb was handed his first ever start in the Champions League tonight, with Pep Guardiola ringing the changes.
Qualification to the knockout stages as group winners had already been secured, so this was a chance for Pep to get a look at some of those on the fringes.
Bobb was handed his ninth appearance of the season in Belgrade – and he repaid his manager’s faith with a brilliant goal…
Neil Lennon believes Oscar Bobb is like Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez hybrid
Bobb came into focus for the TNT Sports punditry team prior to kick-off tonight.
Obviously, a lot of the chat was about Micah Hamilton who was given his debut by Pep, and the youngster would go on to score a brilliant goal, lashing in after good work by Matheus Nunes.
But Bobb came in for a word from Lennon, who is a really big fan of the Norway international.
He said: “I saw him earlier on in the season against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup at St. James’ Park and in the first-half he was excellent. City dominated the first-half, Newcastle came on strong in the second.
“Really good mover, lovely technical ability – like a cross between a Mahrez and a Sane. Very easy on the eye, real high IQ footballer. Looking forward to watching him play.”
Perhaps inevitably after Lennon’s comments, Bobb would score a goal that both Mahrez and Sane would have been proud of.
Bobb set for big future
It was interesting to watch Bobb playing as a central striker tonight for City in the Champions League against Red Star.
That meant we could not actually really see Bobb showcasing the traits he shares with the likes of Sane and Mahrez – until the goal of course.
That was an absolutely superb carry, the kind of which City fans have seen Mahrez and Sane both make many times in the past.
It is going to be really interesting to see how Bobb develops at the Etihad Stadium, and hopefully he can just keeping working away to get as many opportunities as possible.
Potentially, he could become the brightest talent to emerge from the academy since Phil Foden.
