Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jacob Ramsey claims that Manchester City’s Rodri is the “toughest opponent” he has come up against in his playing career.
Speaking to the JD Football TikTok channel, Ramsey said that the Spanish international’s technical ability makes him a very difficult player to face:
“Toughest opponent, I’d say Rodri from Man City, just so hard to get the ball off him, technically good and he always keeps the ball.”
As a no.10, Ramsey has gone up against the likes of Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Manchester United’s Casemiro, Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and several other highly-rated holding midfield players.
The fact that he rates Rodri as the best will come as no surprise to City fans who see him in action every week.
Why hasn’t Rodri played so far this season?
The 28-year-old picked up a hamstring injury in the European Championship final last month and he still hasn’t returned to full fitness.
There is a chance that Rodri will be back on the bench for the West Ham fixture. Manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that the midfielder has taken part in “partial training”.
However, it is more likely that his next appearance for City will come after the international break against either Brentford or Arsenal.
City have coped well in the midfielder’s absence
Last season, Guardiola’s men struggled when Rodri was sidelined, but they have handled the situation much better at the start of this campaign, having won the Community Shield and the first two league matches.
The form of Mateo Kovacic has certainly helped. The Croatian international has adapted well to the holding midfield role, although he did go off injured early on in the second half of the 4-1 victory over Ipswich last Saturday. It is hoped that he will be available for the trip to West Ham this weekend.