Nedum Onuoha is excited about Claudio Echeverri at Manchester City but thinks another young forward will have an even greater impact next season.
Manchester City fans have been waiting patiently to see what Claudio Echeverri can bring to the club for well over 18 months now.
The Blues signed Echeverri from River Plate in January 2024 but he stayed on loan in Argentina for another year and had to wait until the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace to make his debut.
Wembley wasn’t exactly the best place to make his bow, but Echeverri has been given the chance to impress Pep Guardiola at the Club World Cup.
Echeverri was given his first start in the 6-0 win over Al Ain and got his first goal for the club with a fantastic free kick, as well as putting in a bright and lively performance.
Excitement is growing around Echeverri’s potential but Nedum Onuoha expects Oscar Bobb to play a bigger role in the forthcoming season.
Oscar Bobb controls an incoming ball during Manchester City vs Al Ain.
Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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Oscar Bobb tipped to make bigger impact than Claudio Echeverri at Manchester City
When asked on the ESPN FC podcast who would have the bigger impact in the 2025-26 season, Onuoha opted for Bobb over Echeverri.
He said: “Ooh, I think, I think I’m gonna say Bobb just because he’s a little bit older, a little bit more experienced.
“But it’s interesting because Echeverri was apparently going to be in the process of going on loan again and so on as a young player, but Guardiola has told him that he wants to stick around, wants him to stick around for this period of time.
“So I think he’s got one eye on making sure that he’s part of the attacking lineup going forward.
“But, you know, I think Oscar Bobb has done it before and I think he’ll do it again.”
Oscar Bobb has a big Man City season in store
Bobb also got on the score sheet against Al Ain, netting the fifth goal with a fine finish past the goalkeeper after a tricky piece of skill.
City will be keeping everything crossed that Bobb can stay healthy so he can have the season everyone expected him to have last year.
Bobb broke into the first team the previous campaign and was earmarked to be a key figure in Guardiola’s side for 2024-25.
The Norwegian proved why as he shone in the Community Shield win over Manchester United.
However, in training the following week, just days before the Premier League began, he suffered a horribly-timed broken leg.
It was initially thought Bobb would be able to return by the new year but the injury was worse than first feared and he would go on to miss 54 games.
Bobb didn’t return to action until April and managed just 14 minutes in the season. Thankfully, he has already racked up more minutes in two Club World Cup appearances and his goal shows he hasn’t lost his touch.
If he keeps injury-free, Bobb could be about to finally have a great campaign.