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‹ Zimbabwe Soccer News

🚨 Manchester City faces a massive Rodri dilemma as surgery looms

25 July 2026, 16:06
📝 *THE FULL PICTURE:* Manchester City are in serious flux. New boss Enzo Maresca steps into Pep Guardiola’s shoes after a decade, and the squad’s already lost four starters from that Treble-winning 2022-23 team. Now the biggest question is Rodri. The 30-year-old midfielder just captained Spain to World Cup glory, winning the Golden Ball, but he’s heading for back surgery on Monday with only one year left on his contract. Real Madrid are reportedly operating on the basis that he’ll join them. Maresca made it clear he wants to keep him, but there’s a real dilemma: cash in or hold on? Meanwhile, City signed Elliot Anderson for £116m and are tracking 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi. Maresca’s system relies on positional versatility, and Anderson can play everywhere. But losing Rodri would be a massive blow. 💭 *MY TAKE:* This is wild, dude. You’ve got a new manager, a squad overhaul, and your best player might walk for nothing next summer. Maresca’s chess analogy is cool, but chess pieces don’t get back surgery and demand massive contracts. If Real Madrid really are circling, City have to decide: rebuild around Rodri for one more year or cash in and trust Anderson and Bouaddi to grow fast. Either way, Maresca’s got a headache that no amount of positional play can fix.
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