Manchester City will prioritise a midfield replacement for the injured Rodri in the January window, as a few names could come into play.
According to Football Insider, Manchester City have identified their priority area to strengthen in January after Rodri’s season-ending injury. The Spanish midfielder’s absence does leave a massive void in Pep Guardiola’s plans for the campaign, as the Catalan will look to address the issue in January.
Rodri continued his run of unbeaten games for Manchester City as they drew 2-2 to Arsenal on Sunday at the Etihad. The midfielder’s importance is vast for Pep Guardiola, as he gives them a solid base and balance between attack and defence.
Rodri suffered an unfortunate anterior cruciate ligament injury to his knee early in the first half that will end his season. These injuries take time, and the player could be looking at 9-10 months before returning to the pitch and more to gain his best form.
His absence will leave a big void for Guardiola to think about, as Manchester City could get active in the January window to find a solution. Rodri might be a defensive midfielder on paper, but he is a complete profile that the club will find it difficult to replace, although they will still look at available options.
They did re-sign Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona in the summer, as the German can play the No.6 role expertly, although his talents are better used in the advanced role. Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and even Rico Lewis are other options, while Bernardo Silva can also feature there in a double-pivot.
Manchester City will sign a new midfielder
Manchester City might persist with internal options until January, when they will sign a new midfielder as soon as the window opens. The signing might well be keeping the future in mind rather than just a stop-gap option. Hence, their links to Nicolo Barella make sense, although Inter Milan are unlikely to sell him midway through the season.
Tijjani Reijnders is also a target for Manchester City, and compared to Barella, the Dutchman could still be seen as an achievable target. The big issue for Man City around January would be their verdict on the 115 charges, as the club could be staring at a mass exodus if the verdict goes against them. Hence, some of the transfer names will keep a keen eye on that development before committing their future to the club.
