In our view, Manchester City have a gem on their hands in Oscar Bobb, who could be the second coming of Bernardo Silva.
Bobb has emerged as a breakthrough star at the Etihad Stadium this season, earning his reputation as one of the most talented youngsters in the Premier League.
However, the type of player the Norwegian could develop into remains a mystery amongst many, considering he has played in a multitude of positions under Pep Guardiola.
Oscar Bobb is Bernardo Silva 2.0
But the player Oscar Bobb is the most similar to when assessing his profile is Bernardo Silva.
Stylistically, the similarities are uncanny, with Bobb also being left-footed, having a low sense of gravity, the ability to wriggle past defenders with his quick feet and being an impeccable technician.
Much like Bernardo Silva, while Oscar Bobb is well-capable of playing as a winger, his best work comes in central areas, which does not come as a surprise as he has always been a midfielder by trade.
However, the teenager, in a similar vein to Silva also has a rare understanding of how to provide a sense of control from any position he plays in, owing to his technical security and astute reading of the game.
The Oslo-born technician seems to have perfectly grasped when to let loose and when to keep things ticking, which is a trait that no other member of Manchester City’s squad has mastered like the treble-winner.
For instance, against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup, Oscar Bobb was quite understated in his approach, perhaps due to the patience that was required in the build-up to slowly but surely dismantle their compact low block.
After his side’s eventual 5-0 victory, Pep Guardiola also described his performance as “shy” in his post-match press conference (via BeanymanSports).
But once City were 2-0 up, not only did Oscar Bobb decide that it was the perfect time to go full-throttle but much like Bernardo Silva, he exemplified why he is at his dynamic best in central zones, dancing past his opponents with his sublime dribbling, constantly being a key component in his side’s attacks and being a goal threat.
Similarly, there is no better example of this prophecy than the highly-rated talent’s recent winner against Newcastle United, where it was from inside the box that he shimmied past Martin Dubravka before securing the all-important three points for Manchester City. Despite coming on to replace Jeremy Doku at left wing, Bobb went on to change the game from a more central position.
It would not be unlikely if much like Bernardo Silva, Oscar Bobb is tasked to play in several positions throughout his career due to his one-of-a-kind footballing intelligence.
For City so far, Bobb has already played on both flanks, in midfield and as a false nine.
If the versatile technician manages to develop the engine that Silva has, which could be a possibility as he physically matures over time, the Sky Blues may have unintentionally found themselves a clone of one of their greatest-ever players.
