Rodri was officially unveiled as a Barcelona player earlier this week after completing a £65.4 million switch to the Camp Nou from the Etihad Stadium.
Nico O'Reilly could be Manchester City's most complete footballer!
More Videos
The 30-year-old was heavily linked with Real Madrid in the opening stages of the summer transfer window but has instead strengthened Barcelona's Spanish National Team contingent by signing a four-year deal with the reigning La Liga champions.
Manchester City were always keen to tie Rodri down to a fresh contract on improved terms earlier in the ongoing transfer window, with the 2024 Ballon d'Or entering the final 12 months of his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
However, after seven successful seasons in Manchester, Rodri has instead pursued a new venture off the back of an FA Cup and Carabao Cup double winning season as he returns to Spain and joins forces with Hansi Flick.
It remains to be seen who Manchester City target as a direct Rodri replacement, with a deal with Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez unlikely as things stand owing to the west London club's £120 million asking price for the 25-year-old Argentina international.
It is widely understood that interest from within the Etihad Stadium over the FIFA World Cup finalist is stemming directly from manager Enzo Maresca, who knows Fernandez well from his time at Chelsea.
Everyone knows how good Rodri was, says O'Reilly after Barcelona transfer
In an interview with Sky Sports ahead of Sunday afternoon's Premier League curtain-raiser against Bournemouth, Manchester City academy graduate and crucial member of the first-team squad Nico O'Reilly has reflected on another significant departure from the Etihad Stadium.
"Everyone knows how good Rodri was and it made everyone's game easier around him," said Nico O'Reilly on Rodri.
"He's there, dictates the game. So it's a huge loss, but it's time to adapt. We've made some new signings, who knows if anyone else is going to come, so we've just got to be patient."
Nico O'Reilly has plenty of experience playing in midfield, having developed in the role throughout his time in the club's academy, and could yet be called upon to fill a very concerning void in the middle of the park for Manchester City and Enzo Maresca.
On whether he could operate in midfield, O'Reilly added, "Yeah, 100 percent! I grew up there, played quite a lot there last season. It'd be something I'd like to do.
"But the player I am, I'm adaptive, I can play left-back, midfield, holding midfield, and the manager said, 'Be ready to play anywhere'. He said it's a rare attribute to have within a team, so be ready."
How are Man City planning to replace Rodri?
The million dollar question. It is inconceivable that Manchester City would have sanctioned Rodri's move to Barcelona without a clear picture in mind on how the club would go about recruiting a potent replacement.
A deal for Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi is expected to be completed before the end of the summer transfer window, with AS Roma's Manu Kone also emerging as a recent target in the backdrop of Tijjani Reijnders’ move to Al Qadsiah.
There are huge doubts over the manner in which Manchester City have gone about their summer recruitment, with sporting director Hugo Viana facing backlash from fans on social media over why it is this late in the transfer window and the club are yet to complete their midfield revamp.
Aside from transfer interest in the central midfield roles, Manchester City are also ongoing in their pursuit of a new wide attacker, with Palmeiras' 22-year-old Brazilian Allan Elias believed to be the number one target.
Manchester City are close to agreeing a deal with Palmeiras for the signing of Brazilian winger Allan Elias, according to recent reports.cityxtra.co.ukMan City Near Total Transfer Agreement With Palmeiras to Sign Allan Elias
Manchester City are close to agreeing a deal with Palmeiras for the signing of Brazilian winger Allan Elias, according to recent reports.