Manchester City Sign Rodri Hernandez From Atletico Madrid

Career So Far

Rodri has spent his entire career living up to the title of the ‘new Sergio Busquets.’ However, judging by his statistics, Rodri is nothing close to Busquets. At Atletico, he was asked to play a role that wasn’t best for him. Diego Simeone’s aggressive, defensive style did more to harm his young midfielder than enhance his quality.

In moving to Manchester, Rodri will enter a system tailored to his skillset. This situation could work out a lot like when Pep Guardiola brought Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich. Alonso was a more traditional defensive midfielder, very good at reading and breaking up defensively, with that little bit of Spanish touch.

He was always underrated as a passer, which is easy considering his midfield generation. Pep Guardiola thought Xabi Alonso would be the perfect man to help introduce his system to Bayern Munich, and Alonso was excellent.

That is the type of player Rodri is and will continue to be. He has the same variety of passes that Xabi Alonso possessed, but at a much younger age. Rodri has about the same level of athleticism that Alonso had when he made his move to the Premier League. He is no Fernandinho, but much like Alonso, he has enough athleticism to allow his reading of the game to make up for it.

Manchester City fans shouldn’t expect that Rodri comes in and is straight away starting in midfield. Having Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan still on the roster could aid Rodri’s adjustment. However, it is clear that his future is at the heart of Manchester City’s midfield.

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