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Over the past 14 months, Rodri has remained mostly unavailable following an anterior cruciate ligament injury incurred in a match with Arsenal, accumulating only 588 minutes for Manchester City because of recurring issues, the most recent of which kept him out from Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. While Pep Guardiola has indicated that “his absence won’t be long-term,” the 29-year-old is essential to the manager’s philosophy. In the following sections, we examine the options …

Nico González

“The primary choice when Rodri is out is certainly Nico. Nico is making improvement,” Guardiola said prior to Sunday’s 3-1 victory versus Bournemouth. Standing 6ft 2in and only 23 at the time he was acquired for £49.8m from Porto earlier this year, González is practically carbon copy of Rodri. Indeed, Guardiola referred to the ex- Barcelona player as a “mini-Rodri” in the past, yet in the match with Bournemouth there were instances when he was challenged and dispossessed in midfield in a way Rodri, in top form, would not be. That is no embarrassment, though, in not being in the same league as the Ballon d’Or winner.

Kovacic

The ongoing unavailability of City’s other holding midfielder to an ankle problem will be a strain for City in case González also collect an injury throughout Rodri’s absence. Kovacic has performed well regularly for City since arriving at the club from Chelsea for £25m in June 2023 and has a CV that demonstrates he is a stellar talent. His past employers feature Dinamo Zagreb, Inter and Real Madrid. He possesses a wealth of accolades to his name, such as one La Liga title, one Premier League title and four Champions League victories.

The Academy Graduate

The young defender has accumulated 103 games for City, roughly a fourth of which were as a deep-lying playmaker. The homegrown player is versed in the 360-vision, technique, defensive work and energy the position calls for in a the manager’s side, yet the manager has highlighted Lewis’s relatively short stature as a disadvantage in that role. “It’s necessary to have physicality, for obvious reasons,” he said. “It was less [needed] in Barcelona, Bayern Munich [Guardiola’s previous clubs].” Approaching 21 in the coming weeks, Lewis is young and is expected to grow.

John Stones

“His contributions to the pitch is exceptional ability as a centre-back and perhaps as a crucial No 6.” The view expressed by Thomas Tuchel and it reflects Guardiola in regards to the ‘versatile star’. Among Stones’s 408 club games, 27 have been as a defensive midfielder and he shone in that role when advancing from central defence to play alongside Rodri in City’s European triumph over Inter. “The all-round vision was the most difficult for me,” Stones noted about playing in the position. “It’s not innate – I think I’ve developed, but that comes from understanding where to take possession and how to handle it in certain situations.”

Reijnders

The Dutchman was signed by City from Milan this past transfer window as a successor for Kevin De Bruyne. As he stated at the recent Club World Cup: “Playing as an attacking midfielder is why they [City] brought me in. My task is to fill the No 8 and do my best to demonstrate that I deserve to start.” As González dealing with a fitness issue, Reijnders was deployed as a deep midfielder in the recent 1-0 setback at Aston Villa and was pushed upfield when the Spanish player was substituted on shortly after the second half, the episode offering a glimpse of where he stands in Guardiola’s thinking, specifically as a backup.

Nunes

Born in Brazil Portugal player has made merely nine times as a holding midfielder throughout his career with his sole appearance in the position for City coming against Nottingham Forest in September 2023. He played the full 90 and delivered an key pass in a 2-0 win.

Phillips

The club’s overlooked player is still only 29. He has played as a defensive midfielder on 164 occasions during his career and performed adequately in the role to be called up by England. Yet, it is evident he lacks the faith of Guardiola.