Rodri’s ACL injury, suffered in late September during a game against Arsenal, has clearly played a major role in Manchester City’s recent struggles.
Before the injury, City had a perfect record in the Premier League, winning all four matches. Since then, the team has only managed five wins out of 15 games, including just two victories in their last ten outings.
Replacing a player of Rodri’s caliber—especially the current Ballon d’Or winner—was never going to be easy. But does Manchester City already have a potential replacement for him within their squad?
And no, it’s not Kalvin Phillips.
Kalvin Phillips’ Struggles at Manchester City
Right now, Pep Guardiola relies on Mateo Kovačić and İlkay Gündoğan to fill the gap left by Rodri. Guardiola even described Rodri as “irreplaceable.” This is largely because Kalvin Phillips, signed for £42 million from Leeds in 2022, has failed to make an impact and is now on loan at Ipswich Town.
Phillips’ time at City has been disappointing, to say the least. During his first season, he played just 595 minutes, featuring in only 10.8% of City’s total game time across 61 matches.
The following season didn’t go any better. After just ten appearances, totaling 319 minutes, Phillips was loaned to West Ham. However, he struggled there too, giving away a goal on his debut and being sent off a few weeks later.
This season, Phillips is on loan at Ipswich but has yet to cement a starting spot. His appearance against Arsenal on Friday was his first start since being red-carded against Leicester in November.
It’s clear that Phillips isn’t the future of City’s midfield. But could Máximo Perrone be the answer?
Máximo Perrone: Man City’s Future Midfield Star?
Manchester City signed Máximo Perrone from Vélez Sarsfield for £8.2 million two years ago. Despite the signing, Perrone remains a relatively unknown figure, having played only two games for City, both in February 2023.
Last season, the 21-year-old spent time on loan at Las Palmas in La Liga, where he was a regular starter and helped the team avoid relegation. This season, he joined Serie A side Como on loan and started their first nine matches before suffering a thigh injury. Como’s manager, Cesc Fàbregas, expects Perrone to return in mid-January.
Perrone scored his first goal for City in a pre-season friendly against Celtic in July. Analysts see him as a promising option for the future, with some even describing him as the “ideal Rodri back-up.”
While Perrone still has a long way to go to reach Rodri’s level, he shares similar traits, such as a high pass-completion rate and a preference for short passes. His limited touches during matches are due to playing for relegation-battling teams like Las Palmas and Como, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t thrive under Guardiola’s system.
As City looks toward 2025, Perrone might emerge as the player they need to fill Rodri’s role. At the very least, he seems like a better fit than Kalvin Phillips.
