Manchester City’s Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in September 2024 and missed the majority of last season.
The Premier League club signed Nico González from FC Porto in the winter market as a cover for the 29-year-old. Rodri regained full fitness, and González has been in out of Manchester City’s starting lineup this season. The 23-year-old has started three league games.
On Sunday, Rodri suffered an injury in the Citizens’ 1-0 win over Brentford and González replaced him in the 22nd minute.
After the match, EFE had a chat with the former Porto man and [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/premier-league/20251006/1002545757/seleccion-premio-objetivo.html) have relayed his comments. He’s pleased with his first nine months at the Etihad.
_“I’m very happy and very content. I think I’ve improved a lot and am at a level I’ve never played at before. I’m enjoying football more than ever, which is very important. I feel very comfortable in the city, and I feel very good about the team and the people on it because they’re incredible,”_ he said.
The ex-Barcelona man has refused to compare himself to Rodri and wants to focus on the pitch.
Pep Guardiola recently said it’s normal for a debut season to be difficult. When asked to share his views on this, González explained: _“I think it’s part of football and life, right?”_
_“Always trying to progress, trying to improve, and surely if I’m here for five years. I’ll continue to suffer as much as I always do, because in the end, the goal of a player is to constantly improve so as to help the team even more. That’s what I’m trying to do: improve, become a better player, and be able to contribute more.”_
González hasn’t represented Spain’s senior team yet and knows the only way of making it to the World Cup is by featuring regularly for Manchester City.
On how close or far he’s from the Spain squad, he added: _“I don’t know, honestly. I can only focus on the day-to-day running of the team, and for me, the national team has to be a reward, not a goal.”_