Manchester City scouting breakout 20-year-old Spanish midfielder | OneFootball

Manchester City have always kept a close eye on emerging talent, but their scouts will not have had to work too hard to identify Rodrigo Mendoza. The young Spanish midfielder is growing rapidly in profile as he continues to impress in La Liga.

Mendoza has been on the radar of Spain’s biggest clubs for some time, with Real Madrid taking an interest in the summer. Previous seasons have seen efforts to poach Mendoza from the Martinez Valero too, but in August he penned a new three-year deal until 2028 in Alicante. It is not clear what the value of his release clause is.

Manchester City scouting Mendoza

City are reportedly now scouting Mendoza, as per Il Messaggero (via Diario AS), who also reference the interest from Los Blancos. In addition to City and Real Madrid, Juventus are also watching his progress closely.

Image via Elche CF

Mendoza’s season so far

Last season Mendoza was in and out of the team under Eder Sarabia, but has been impressive in La Liga, racking up 635 minutes over 10 appearances. He has started in half of those games, and scored two goals during his games so far. On top of his swift adaptation to Spain’s top flight, Mendoza has also earned his first four caps for the Spain under-21 side, becoming a regular.

What kind of player is Mendoza?

At just 20 years of age, Mendoza has plenty of room to develop, but he possesses all of the hallmarks of a talented and technical Spanish midfielder. Capable of holding his own physically, Mendoza has shown ambition going forward, and his pair of goals are evidence of his ability to do damage in the box.

That is not to say he is a number 10 though either, operating frequently with the game in front of him, and using his touch, dribbling or passing to open it up for teammates.