Nico Gonzalez reflects on life at Manchester City amid tiring Rodri comparisons | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Nico Gonzalez has touched on his first nine months at the Etihad Stadium ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League group-phase tie against Villarreal.

Gonzalez joined City from Porto in January for £50 million as Pep Guardiola sought reinforcements in midfield to cope with the loss of Ballon d’Or winning midfielder Rodri, who spent nearly the entirety of the recent campaign out injured with an ACL rupture.

City endured their most difficult year under Guardiola last term and effectively ruled themselves out of the Premier League title race in the fall of 2024, when the Blues went on their worst run of form in over 15 years that left the footballing world nothing short of flabbergasted.

In an aggressive January transfer window showing, Manchester City spent just over £180 million on the quartet of Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmoush to alleviate their personnel concerns and give Guardiola a much-need influx of fresh, injury-free blood to lead the Blues to the UEFA Champions League places.

Gonzalez – much like the seven new signings made in the summer – has joined Manchester City in a period of transition for the club, who bid farewell to a host of senior stars in the recent transfer window and overhauled their squad to challenge for major trophies in the seasons to come.

Rodri’s continued absence and unfortunate injury issues that have persisted through the summer into the 2025-26 campaign have allowed Gonzalez to stamp his mark on the Manchester City starting XI, with the 23-year-old making an evident step up in his performances this season despite early question marks over his quality.

It is no mean feat to play deputy to the world’s greatest midfielder but Gonzalez is taking it one step at a time and Guardiola has waxed lyrical about the Spaniard’s desire to learn and take instructions on board – a quality hugely appreciated by the Manchester City manager and his backroom staff.

Despite having travelled to Spain for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League game against Villarreal, Rodri will remain unavailable for Manchester City, with Gonzalez set to start in the number six midfield position against the La Liga outfit.

Reflecting on his first nine months at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the game, Gonzalez said: “Nine months already?! It’s been amazing. It’s a dream to be in Manchester City!

“If you told me one year ago, I wouldn’t believe all the experiences and how I’ve grown, so I’m really happy and very excited to keep improving and keep staying in Manchester City for a long time.”

The Barcelona academy graduate is gaining popularity amongst the Manchester City fanbase and put in a man-of-the-match display in the 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton at the weekend, with Guardiola delighted with his backup defensive midfielder.

Guardiola and co will be very careful in managing Rodri’s workload as the season progresses and Gonzalez’s purple patch has come at a very promising time for the Blues, who are looking to challenge on all fronts after undergoing a sub-standard 2024-25 season.