Revealed: How Nico Gonzalez will be used by Manchester City when Rodri returns from injury | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed his thoughts on how best to utilise new midfield signing Nico Gonzalez, particularly when Rodri returns.

The 23-year-old arrived at the Etihad Stadium in a big-money move from FC Porto on deadline day in the final piece of business in a hectic month from Manchester City’s Txiki Begiristain, alongside guidance and support from incoming director, Hugo Viana.

The belief in various quarters, and as pointed out by Pep Guardiola, is that Nico will be viewed within the club as Manchester City’s number one defensive midfield option during the period in which Rodri remains sidelined.

Manchester City’s history-making Ballon d’Or winner of 2024 is expected to miss the remainder of the competitive European campaign, but could yet show signs of a return to action for the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States in the summer.

At that point, the question remains just how Manchester City and their head coach Pep Guardiola will look to hand out sufficient game-time to Nico Gonzalez amid Rodri’s return to his mainstay defensive midfield role in the side.

Speaking during a recent press conference, Guardiola was keen to point out the positional flexibility of City’s new number 14, insisting that the Spaniard is not just limited to a lone defensive midfield role when Rodri is sidelined.

“They can play alongside,” Guardiola said of the two Spanish midfielders. “Both have a good pace to go forward; Nico has played at Barcelona as a number 10 for example, arriving into the box, can play in that position, as a holding midfielder.”

The Manchester City boss continued, “So in terms of physicality, he’s quite tall, long balls, and his pace and especially a player who has come from the academy with players, his patterns, his body shape, and the quality and control in reading the game is really there.

“Of course he has to adapt to the Premier League, I don’t know how long it will take – some players need a little bit more, sometimes less. But yeah, really pleased that he’s here because especially for that, for the age, it’s a player for the next many, many years.

“Rodri, hopefully, next season will be back, but maybe after an ACL playing 60 or 70 games like he played last season is always a risk. And that’s why, with (Mateo) Kova as well, we have another player that can play in that position.”

Nico Gonzalez has already made his first start for Manchester City albeit in a limited debut having been substituted after 25 minutes against Leyton Orient, and the lower back problem was enough to rule him out of Tuesday night’s 2-3 home defeat to Real Madrid.