Rodri injury setback hands £116m signing Elliot Anderson an immediate midfield role at City

Elliot Anderson could be handed an immediate starring role at Manchester City after Rodri was reported to be facing surgery following the World Cup, leaving him likely to miss the start of the new season.

The Spain midfielder has endured a wretched two years since suffering an ACL injury, managing only brief spells of consistent form before breaking down again at a critical stage of this campaign. With his contract entering its final year and a renewal offer still unanswered, City’s reliance on their Ballon d’Or winner is becoming increasingly difficult to justify in team selection.

The situation is a familiar one for City, but new head coach Enzo Maresca is better placed to manage it than Pep Guardiola was last summer. Guardiola headed into pre-season in Sicily without a fit Rodri, Mateo Kovacic sidelined until October, and Nico Gonzalez still unconvincing as a No.6. The midfield pivot proved a significant weakness across two successive seasons.

Maresca, by contrast, has Anderson — signed for £116m — available to step into that position from the outset. The former Nottingham Forest midfielder was deployed as a No.6 by England manager Thomas Tuchel throughout the World Cup, giving him a full summer of experience in the role at the highest level.

There is some debate about where Anderson fits best in the longer term, with suggestions he could operate further forward as he did at times for Forest. But the immediate need at the Etihad appears to be at the base of midfield, and Anderson’s consistent form in the Premier League last season makes him a credible candidate to fill the void.

City are also reported to be weighing a move for Moroccan teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi as a longer-term solution to the position, though that would be a prospect for the future rather than a fix for the season ahead.

Anderson will face greater competition for places at City than he did at Forest and has been made aware of the consequences of falling out of the starting eleven. But Rodri’s latest setback, frustrating as it is for the club, appears to have handed the £116m signing a clear and immediate purpose in Maresca’s first season in charge.