Don Hutchison has named Rodri as the most ‘irreplaceable’ player at Manchester City after Erling Haaland.
Speaking on ESPN UK, the pundit had his say on the impact of the £63 million (Daily Mail) man’s three-match suspension after his silly red card against Nottingham Forest.
Unsurprisingly, Don Hutchison believes Manchester City will miss Rodri big-time, especially as they face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in two weeks.
Don Hutchison says Rodri is the most ‘irreplaceable’ Manchester City player after Erling Haaland
On the same show, Ale Moreno made the claim that the Spaniard has been City’s ‘best player’ this season.
In addition, he pinpointed how the treble-winner has also added plenty to his game from an attacking standpoint as well.
Don Hutchison went on to pinpoint how difficult Manchester City could find it to replace Rodri in their upcoming games.
“Massive [loss]. Because I agree with Ale. Taking Erling Haaland aside, I think when you pick a Man City team and you think who’s irreplaceable, I think Rodri’s one of them. He’s got a high-level football IQ.”
Don Hutchison went on to shower Rodri with praise, saying, “When you’re talking off the back of a red card, the timing’s slightly off. But in terms of the last two or three seasons where he’s started to add goals, I watch him all the time. He’s never got a sweat on.”
“He’s always in the right position, plays the game very smart, his passing is immaculate, never gives the ball away, he’s a dream footballer for [Pep] Guardiola. So, they’re going to miss him.”
Rodri is the most irreplaceable player at the club
While Don Hutchison is largely bang on, it is easy to disagree with him about Rodri being more irreplaceable in this Manchester City side than Erling Haaland.
After all, Julian Alvarez, who does seem admittedly more comfortable playing alongside the Norwegian remains a brilliant striker.
However, Manchester City lack a single defensive midfielder who is anywhere even near Rodri’s level, with Kalvin Phillips’ struggles being well-documented and the likes of Mateo Kovacic as well as Matheus Nunes being natural No.8’s.
