Norway manager reveals details of Pep Guardiola conversation on Oscar Bobb injury recovery | OneFootball

Norway manager Ståle Solbakken has revealed details of a chat with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after Oscar Bobb was excluded from the latest international squad.

The highly-rated Etihad Stadium forward has spent over six months recovering from a leg bone fracture sustained in a training session after Manchester City’s Community Shield victory over Manchester United on penalties last summer.

The 21-year-old, born in Oslo, has sealed his status as a member of Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad after rising through the ranks at the City Football Academy (CFA), scoring a crucial last-minute winner against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in January 2024.

Bobb also shined in his last outing for Manchester City against United in the Community Shield and was reliably reported to have been a key reason why the club sanctioned a £45 million sale of Cole Palmer to join Chelsea 18 months ago.

The summer signing of Savinho and January arrival of Omar Marmoush have bolstered Pep Guardiola’s options in wide attack, with Erling Haaland shouldering a worrying percentage of goalscoring responsibility for fourth-placed Manchester City this season.

Oscar Bobb, along with fellow long-term absentee Rodri, will almost prove to be a new signing for Manchester City when he does finally return to first-team action, having resumed full training with his teammates earlier this month.

Pep Guardiola will be keen to not rush Oscar Bobb back and give him ample time to get up to speed in training and City need all the attacking inspiration they can get after another drab display up front when they lost 1-0 away at Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

On Tuesday however, Bobb was left out of Norway manager Ståle Solbakken’s squad to face Moldova and Israel later this month as part of their FIFA World Cup qualification campaign running through until the 2026 competition.

“We had a conversation with (Pep) Guardiola indirectly,” Solbakken told NRK, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness.

“We have a full overview of what he (Bobb) has done, and there is very little in big games. Zero games and little big games, but he is at least in training now.

“He (Bobb) has had a couple of setbacks along the way, and it was a broken leg. Sometimes it takes longer than you hope. City is in a position where they can’t give him any free minutes either.

“They are fighting for their lives for Champions League games, and that will probably delay his comeback even further.”