There are a lot of questions Manchester City fans are asking ahead of a 2025 that is looking increasingly uncertain.
What will the result of the 115 Premier League charges hearing be? Who will replace the departing director Txiki Begiristain? Will Pep Guardiola stay in charge after the season ends?
Those are massive queries that will impact Manchester City’s future in the long-term but of a more immediate concern is whether a replacement for Rodri will be recruited in January.
The crucial midfielder will miss the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign after suffering an ACL tear and meniscus damage in just his second start of the new campaign.
Though City finally got a win since the injury against Fulham on Saturday, they have been far from their best in his absence as Guardiola continues to experiment with alternatives.
City are blessed with several stand-in options, with Mateo Kovacic, John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, Rico Lewis and Manuel Akanji all capable of playing the holding midfield role.
Yet, none of them are as honed in the vital position as Rodri and there have been calls for the club to recruit a natural defensive midfielder in the January transfer market.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Will Man City sign a Rodri replacement in January?
It’s not yet clear if City will move to make a signing in the new year and it’s a window they usually avoid doing business in.
Aymeric Laporte was the last signing made in January to come straight into the first team and that was in 2018. The likes of Julian Alvarez and Claudio Echeverri may have been recruited in January but they weren’t scheduled to arrive until the following summer.
Yet, it’s always possible City could buck the trend and GRV Media transfer expert, Graeme Bailey, has revealed the club will sit down with Guardiola during the international break to come to a decision.
Bailey told MCN: “The initial thinking from the club, is they’ll sit down with Pep during the international break, they’ll assess the situation.
“Obviously it’s going to be Pep’s choice, really. If he does want someone to come in, they’re already doing the work on players, the scouting network, they already know options available to them, they’re looking at.
“There will not be a knee-jerk signing. If they bring someone in it wouldn’t be someone on a short-term six-month deal or anything like that, that’s the message I’m getting.
“It won’t be someone like that. If they did bring someone in it would be with a long-term view anyway.
“There are players in the City squad who probably won’t be there long-term. [Kevin] De Bruyne, maybe Kovacic etc, who could be replaced anyway.
“From the off, it seems from what I’ve been hearing from the club, not that they weren’t worried, but they thought they were in a good position with the squad, that they have the ability to get through without it.
“They have Echeverri coming in in January who people who aren’t City-minded don’t realise he’s coming in and he’s such a talent as well. He’s not necessarily a Rodri replacement but he would allow the likes of Silva and De Bruyne to drop deeper.
“The way City play and Pep, the likes of Stones, Lewis, Akanji can play up as well as the holding. I think given the way City play and the squad, I don’t think they’ll bring anyone in but they’re going to have that conversation this month and they’ll see what’s out there, assess the situation and they’ll go from there.
“They’ll be having those conversations during the international break, they’ll assess it. The hunch at the moment is barring no new injuries they’re quite happy to go with what they’ve got.”
Who could Man City sign to replace Rodri?
There are certainly some intriguing options City could look at and they have been linked with several already.
Fans like the idea of Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, who replaced Rodri in the Euro 2024 final and put in a great display to help Spain defeat England.
Crystal Palace starlet Adam Wharton has also been touted as a possible option.
Bailey believes Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich is a player to keep tabs on, too.
He said: “I think Kimmich is a very interesting one. Someone who Pep loves, has looked at him before, I think he could be a fascinating option for them in the new year.
“He can play right-back, centre-mid, he’s a world-class talent. I’d keep an eye on him.
“[Kalvin] Phillips was the one who didn’t really fit in with Pep but I think City have learned their lesson with that, they need to get people who fit in the system.
“[Matheus] Nunes, he might be one of the beneficiaries with Rodri, he’s been getting more game time recently I think he’s more than capable of stepping up.
“City have got a plan in place with the squad. They’re not going to go and sign a like for like in January – that is the message coming from the club at this moment.”
“Everything City do there’s a plan in place for it. There won’t be any knee-jerk reactions, there won’t be short-termism when it comes to it.
“If someone does come in who’s like him there’s probably a reason behind it other than Rodri being injured.”