Rodri embodies Manchester City’s new grit and has sights set on treble

Cool, composed and able to chess-move in the tight, ever-shifting zones of the elite game’s midfield, Rodri is a serious contender for Manchester City’s player of the season.

In a stellar squad Erling Haaland may hog the headlines yet Rodri is Pep Guardiola’s ball-hogger supreme, a player the manager might privately admit is more vital to his pass-and-move machine than the 48-goal man.

Twenty-seven minutes into City’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich, Rodri illustrated why by showcasing another of his glittering attributes via a classy finish that was the perfect start to the perfectly executed 4-1 aggregate win.

Collecting from John Stones 25 yards out and on a tight angle from Yann Sommer’s goal, the Universidad de Castellón business administration graduate switched to his left foot and sent a fierce shot beyond Bayern’s keeper.

Rodri has form for the killer instinct and big-game temperament that are a calling card of the best. In last season’s final Premier League game against Aston Villa, he fired in another long-range goal as City drew level from 2-0 down, going on to the 3-2 victory that sealed the title.

Now Guardiola’s gilded side are a maximum of 13 victories from a potential treble, and Rodri, speaking in flawless English, is allowing himself to dream.

“That is what we work for,” says the 26-year-old. “It’s a long way but the mentality is the next game. We have the FA Cup, which is very important for the club and for me as it’d be the first time I’ve won it. We have a good rival in Sheffield [United].”

The semi-final is on Saturday at Wembley. Dispatch the Blades and the victor of Sunday’s Brighton-Manchester United tie awaits in May. Wednesday brings the visit of Arsenal as City