Norwegian wonderkid in contention to replace Cole Palmer in Manchester City first-team squad next season

Manchester City will replace Cole Palmer in their first-team squad next season with a recruit from within the club, with 19 year-old Oscar Bobb reportedly in contention.

City’s England youth international has endured somewhat of a problematic season with regards to game-time, as injuries have held back his development in a campaign that many anticipated would be his breakthrough moment for the club.

As such, Manchester City are understood to have taken the decision to arrange a season-long loan move for Palmer to one of Europe’s many interested parties, with particular interest emerging from several top clubs in the Bundesliga.

While Etihad Stadium officials are expected to be busy this summer in the way of signings, it has now been reported that City will not be spending money on a replacement for Cole Palmer ahead of the start of the new season.

That is according to Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News, who reports that the spot in Pep Guardiola’s squad vacated by Cole Palmer this summer is expected to be filled internally by an existing member of the club’s academy system.

Norwegian attacker Oscar Bobb is namely in contention for that role, after winning Manchester City’s under-21 Player of the Year award two years in a row, and consistently impressing coaches for his performances across the youth ranks at the Etihad Stadium.

The 19 year-old attacking midfielder produced yet another outstanding campaign for Manchester City last season, scoring eight goals and providing a total of 18 assists across 35 Premier League 2, UEFA Youth League, and EFL Trophy appearances.

City signed Oscar Bobb from Oslo-based club Vålerenga in the summer of 2019, with the Guardian newspaper labelling the teenager as the best talent in his age group at the football club just a few months later.

Bobb is described by Manchester City as being “an incredibly technically gifted midfielder”, capable of playing both centrally, as well as out-wide.