Danny Murphy has admitted he thought Manchester City were really going to struggle to replace Etihad legend Fernandinho – but believes the club have done so in style with the signing of Rodri.
City advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday night, beating Newcastle United 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Bernardo Silva scored twice as Pep Guardiola‘s side dominated the Magpies, with Eddie Howe’s side not really laying a glove on City.
It was a performance the manager was very pleased with, as there was complete control throughout, with Rodri and Mateo Kovacic having a combined 310 touches.
Rodri was just superb in the engine room – and commentator Danny Murphy dished out some big praise for the Spaniard during yesterday’s game…
Danny Murphy lauds Rodri as brilliant Fernandinho replacement at Manchester City
As a result of not losing against Newcastle, Rodri has now gone an incredible 62 games unbeaten in a Manchester City shirt across all competitions.
It is an incredible record, that stretches all the way back to February 2023, when City lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
It certainly indicates just how important a player he is, and Murphy addressed the £63 million star’s unbeaten record during Saturday’s game with Newcastle.
He said on commentary: “It’s just remarkable. His consistency, his fitness levels, his quality, everything about him. He’s become their most important player in many ways. The stats tell you that for sure.
“They both had remarkable durability. Fernandinho very rarely missed games. I had the misfortune of playing against him and seeing his brilliance defensively and offensively, and I thought they might struggle to replace him. Then they go and find this fella.”
Rodri has replaced Fernandinho and then some
Rodri had huge shoes to fill replacing Fernandinho as the main defensive midfielder at Manchester City.
The Brazilian was one of the very best signings the club have made since the takeover in 2008, and helped City dominate after he signed in 2013.
He was an incredible holding midfielder who did the dirty work, but also had on-the-ball quality.
It was going to be a tall order for City to replace him, but Rodri has been an incredible replacement and he will have surpassed his former teammate’s legacy when the time comes for him to leave the Etihad.
It will no doubt have helped Rodri having actually overlapped with Fernandinho. The City legend recently revealed that he actually had a phone call with Rodri, and said the Spaniard told him that he had learned to ‘give some kicks’.
Certainly from watching Rodri, you can see the influence Fernandinho has had.
