Manchester City youngster Micah Hamilton marked his senior debut with a dream goal as the holders finished the Champions League group stage with a 3-2 win at Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday.
With fellow 20-year-old Oscar Bobb also on the scoresheet, here the PA news agency looks at who these fresh faces are.
Who is Micah Hamilton?
The midfielder was born and brought up in Manchester and has been in the club’s system since the age of nine.
Also a City fan, he was a ballboy at the Etihad Stadium and pictures have emerged of him and manager Pep Guardiola on the touchline six years ago.
He is a versatile player who can play centrally or wide and has represented England at various youth levels.
Why has he been relatively low key until now?
Hamilton is highly rated and is currently the captain of City’s elite development squad but his progress has been hampered in recent seasons by injuries.
This is perhaps one reason why other recent City academy graduates such as Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and James McAtee have had more attention.
He has been on the fringes of the first-team squad this season and was an unused substitute at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and against Young Boys in the Champions League.
Who is Oscar Bobb?
Bobb is another attacking player who is rated in his native Norway as one of his country’s most promising prospects.He joined City from Valerenga in 2019.
Having shone in the club’s youth ranks, he is now with Guardiola’s first-team squad full-time. He has made regular substitute appearances this season with the game at Red Star being his second start of the campaign.
What has been said about them?
Brian Barry-Murphy, the former Rochdale manager who is now in charge of City’s EDS, speaks highly of both players and gave Hamilton a label of “street footballer” that seems to have followed him a little.
Barry-Murphy said: “I say to him he’s a street footballer. You see Oscar Bobb who’s very exciting to watch. Micah is the same, someone who can eliminate players one by one, no matter how the game evolves.”
What are their prospects?
Bobb’s involvement this season clearly indicates that he is in Guardiola’s thinking and further opportunities are likely to come his way. History suggests he will have to be patient, however.
Phil Foden was only introduced to the first team gradually and still, at 23 and one of England’s best midfielders, is not a regular starter. The process is still ongoing for Lewis.
Cole Palmer recently decided to leave to seek more chances elsewhere, as did the likes of Jadon Sancho and Brahim Diaz in the past.
Hamilton will have to work hard to even reach Bobb’s level of involvement in what is a star-studded squad.
