Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca announced that the club needs to find a 'new Rodri' after the influential midfielder left the team and moved to Barcelona this week.
Rodri, who is a Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup champion, concluded his seven-year spell at the Etihad Stadium. During this time, he helped City win four Premier League titles and the Champions League.
His departure has created a significant gap in the squad, which Maresca inherited from Pep Guardiola, but the Italian coach expressed confidence that this position can be filled.
Maresca noted: 'I will try to find a new Rodri—it just happened that way.' He added that Rodri achieved many important successes after joining the club, whereas before that, he had not won the Ballon d'Or, the Champions League, or the Club World Cup.
'Our goal now is to try to find a new Rodri. When David Silva was here, everyone worried—Kevin came. When Sergio Agüero was here, everyone was concerned—Erling came. When Fernandinho left, Rodri came. It all comes down to this. When they leave, you have to be good and hire the next one,' Maresca commented.
Rodri's departure is one of several notable parts of City's season; Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Aké, and Tijani Rindergers have also left the club. Furthermore, Savinho is preparing to move to Tottenham, possibly with Omar Marmoush, and Nico González may also leave the club before the transfer window closes.
The only major acquisition for City so far is midfielder Elliot Anderson, but Maresca stated that he expects further reinforcements before the deadline and emphasized that he is not concerned about the scale of the squad overhaul.
Before Sunday's Premier League match against Bournemouth, Maresca said: 'I hope we can do what we need. Of course, it doesn't help that some players want to leave for various reasons. But we need to adapt, and we don't want to keep players here who do not wish to stay.' He also noted that it is normal to wait during the transfer window, as all clubs try to retain players until the last week to sell them for more. 'It's normal, I am not worried about it. When the transfer window closes and we have the whole squad, it will certainly be different.'