Manchester City may not be having the best of seasons, but their squad remains packed with talent and it shouldn’t be long before they’re back on track.
Admittedly, some players are in the twilight of their careers, with Kevin De Bruyne now seemingly set to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer.
However, Manchester City still have many players in their prime, and they also brought in top talents in January, with more likely to arrive in the summer.
Indeed, Chelsea star Marc Cucurella says one of City’s stars is the best player he had ever played with.
Photo by Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Marc Cucurella says Rodri is the best teammate he’s ever played in games with
The player in question is Rodri, whose injury-enforced absence has derailed City’s campaign and left them in the picture for just the FA Cup.
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Cucurella, speaking to Sky Sports, explained how his Spain teammate “can control everything” and said the team who has him never loses possession.
The Chelsea man was asked who he felt was the best teammate he’s ever had.
“I could say (Lionel) Messi but I think it’s a typical one, I train with him a lot and I don’t play a lot with him but I train with him,” said Cucurella. “But if I need to choose one I say Rodri.
“I can see that he can control everything, and just one player they change everything, so if you have Rodri in the team, your team plays good always.
“In training and in the national team, the team that has Rodri in the games, in possession they play good, they have the possession always.
“And then in the games that he runs a lot he covers a lot of pitch and then you can give him the ball and he never loses the football.
“So I’m very impressed with him like playing the same team – after training with him and playing with him I can understand that 90 or 80 percent of the team, he controls.”
The latest around Rodri injury recovery
Rodri, who has been out since suffering an ACL injury against Arsenal in September, has returned to individual training.
However, Pep Guardiola insists that City will take no risks with Rodri’s return from his long-term injury, and hasn’t been able to give a return date.
“I don’t know,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of the FA Cup meeting with Bournemouth when asked whether Rodri could be back in time for the Club World Cup.
“Listen, it would be nice if he played tomorrow but don’t do a wrong decision right now and make a step back.
“The injury, the doctors said seven months, eight months. [We’ve] arrived at six months so he’s behaving on the pitch really well already. But competition is completely different.
“We will see, step by step. I rely a lot on his word but what the doctors say, what his physio says. Not to say ‘target [Club] World Cup’ and after we’re going to lose you for many, many months again.
“We have to be sure that he’s fine and after he’ll be involved.”