Nico Gonzalez compared to Rodri by Pep Guardiola as Real Madrid plot 2026 transfer | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has elucidated on Nico Gonzalez’s ceiling and the room for improvement in the his game as he gets more minutes under his belt.

The 23-year-old has been a regular feature in the Manchester City lineup this season as Ballon d’Or winner Rodri struggles to get back to his regular self after enduring a difficult 12 months with injury.

City signed Gonzalez from Porto for £50 million in January and have deployed the Barcelona graduate in the number six position regularly this term as Guardiola and co wait upon Rodri to return to his old self amid recurring fitness woes.

Gonzalez has drawn huge praise for his performances from Guardiola since term, having anchored the midfield well for a new-look Manchester City side that witnessed seven new signings in the summer transfer window.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of Manchester City’s Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Sunday, Guardiola reflected on Gonzalez’s ascent and admitted that there is further room for improvement for the Spaniard.

“He will be better; when you are coachable,” said Guardiola on Friday. “Not just for me I’m talking for his mates when he listens to his mates, talking, or Rodri talking a lot with him, or Pep (Lijnders) talks to him, or whatever – when you are coachable, you will be a better player.

“At the end, until the last day you are a football player, always you can improve. When you are open-minded, and there are players that are. And Nico is the perfect example.

“The other ones, yes but, you’re going to tell me. But it’s one of the personalities, it’s fine. And those players, I speak less, we talk less, and with Nico he’s always open, wants to learn, and doing that, so that’s why it’s nice to be living with these types of players because we are here just tomorrow to be better than today.

“It’s possible, but to be better you have to be open. If I’m close-minded, ‘No no only what I know, I don’t want to be added absolutely anything’, I’m completely the opposite and the players have to be the same.”

Gonzalez has been of Manchester City’s most important players this season as the Blues enter a new era after conducting a major revamp of their dressing room in the summer, in the backdrop of a subpar 2024-25 season.

After their two month unbeaten run – spanning nine games in all competitions – came to an end against Aston Villa last week, City returned to winning ways in midweek as they came from behind to seal a 3-1 win over Swansea City in the Carabao Cup fourth-round to register a quarter-final tie with Brentford.

After starting on the bench in Wales in midweek, Gonzalez is expected to return to the Manchester City lineup against Bournemouth on Sunday, where three points can take the Blues to second place in the Premier League.