Maresca: We will find the new Rodri at Man City

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has dismissed concerns over replacing Rodri, insisting the club has a proven track record of finding successors to its greatest players.

Rodri joined Barcelona this week after seven years as a cornerstone of City's midfield, leaving a significant void ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener against Bournemouth.

"Try to find the new Rodri, it is what it is," Maresca said. "Rodri, when he arrived here hadn't won the Ballon d'Or, the Champions League or the Club World Cup. When he joined the club and after he achieved many important things. Now the target for us is to try to find the new Rodri."

Maresca pointed to a series of high-profile departures that City ultimately absorbed. "I was thinking last night when David Silva was here, [people were] worried, Kevin [De Bruyne] arrived. When Aguero was here, everyone was worried, Erling arrived. Fernandino? Rodri arrived. It's just about this. When they leave we need to recruit the next one."

Rodri himself had succeeded Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, who was a central figure at the Etihad Stadium during his own spell at the club. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner's departure marks a generational shift in City's engine room.

Maresca confirmed that three Academy players who impressed on the club's pre-season tour to Asia will remain with the first-team squad. "Kaden [Braithwaite], Floyd Samba and Ryan McAidoo are going to be with us. We need around 20 players plus those three players full of energy. We are happy."

The City boss added that further transfer activity is expected before the window closes on 1 September, and acknowledged that most clubs face similar uncertainty at this stage of the summer. "When the transfer window closes and we have all the squad here, for sure it will be different," he said.