Manchester City have signed “mini-Rodri” as Pep Guardiola reveals six year-long plan to sign Nico Gonzalez | OneFootball

Nico Gonzalez has been a target for Manchester City for over six years, manager Pep Guardiola has revealed on his new ‘mini-Rodri’.

The Spanish midfielder took on his full home debut for the reigning Premier League champions in a crunch contest against Newcastle United that had potential for significant ramifications on the chase for a top-four place in the English top-flight.

Having endured a difficult debut for the club in the FA Cup fourth round win over Leyton Orient in which Gonzalez sustained an injury and was forced off the field, the clash with Eddie Howe’s side presented a full opportunity to impress.

And he did just that, commanding the midfield throughout the contest and becoming the first Manchester City player to attempt 100 or more passes, complete a 95 per cent pass accuracy, and fulfil 10 or more passes into the final third since Rodri in May, 2024.

Speaking in the aftermath of Manchester City’s convincing 4-0 win over Newcastle and a hugely impressive home Premier League debut for Nico Gonzalez, Pep Guardiola mad comparisons between the 23-year-old and Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri.

“The presence from Nico helps us a lot in 50-50s. He wins and we can go,” Guardiola told reporters after the contest.

“Manchester City made an incredible investment for the future. He’s 23, he’s like a mini-Rodri. It’s a big complement but in duels he is. He’s far away in other things because Rodri is the best.”

The 54-year-old Catalan tactician then offered an in-depth insight into the long-standing admiration that Manchester City have had for the versatile midfielder, stretching back to his time within Barcelona’s Academy system pre-2020.

“Txiki [Begiristain] tried to bring him a long time ago when he was in the [Barcelona] academy but it wasn’t possible because we had Fernandinho, Rodri,” Guardiola revealed.

“Maybe he would’ve gone to our academy, and when one player from the Barcelona academy comes to the Man City academy, it’s better to stay at Barcelona. After, Barcelona could play [him] but at the end there was a gap to important players and he went to Valencia, Porto.”

The City head coach continued, “But always he was there on our radar, the club always had him. After the options this season we struggled in that position, and we decided we needed a role there – not like Rodri because it’s impossible, not similar either, but this presence that is inevitable in the Premier League, you have to have it.”

“The club made an incredible effort to bring him and when we saw 20 minutes at [Leyton] Orient and today, at just 23, how good he played, how he talked, personality… There was a moment he was correcting Erling (Haaland)!

“When that happens, it makes it nice because in the next six, seven years we will have Rodri back, him, and that will give us more presence, stability that this season we’ve missed!”

Nico Gonzalez would now be expected to start for Manchester City in their crunch midweek clash with Real Madrid, as the English top-flight champions travel to the Spanish capital looking to overturn a 2-3 deficit from last week’s home-leg at the Etihad Stadium.