Manchester City have enjoyed a brilliant start to the Premier League season but even supporters will have been shocked by how one issue has resolved itself

On August 18, 2026, Manchester City bid farewell to their legendary midfielder Rodri. The Ballon d'Or winner shone at the World Cup as he captained Spain to glory. His performances for the national team were exactly what City fans had become accustomed to for seven years.

There are few players who can command a midfield quite like the Spaniard and it was clear Enzo Maresca would have been happy to keep him at the club. "I think every manager wants to have Rodri, because he's a top player," the new City head coach said in his first press conference.

However, the countdown was on for Rodri's time at the Etihad Stadium. Maresca gave him a 'big hug' after he returned to the Etihad Campus following the World Cup. But when he didn't join the squad for the Community Shield in Cardiff, the writing was on the wall.

Rodri's departure was accepted by some in the City fanbase. And £65m for a player in the final year of his contract, who wanted to leave, was a good deal, on paper. But that didn't stop the apprehension.

When Rodri missed the majority of the 2024/25 season, City could not handle his absence. By January, Pep Guardiola was rushing to find a replacement for his star player. This led to Nico Gonzalez's arrival, but the damage had already been done. The Blues ended the campaign without a trophy and Rodri's value only increased through his lack of playing time.

With the midfielder gone for good, many fans were anxious to see who would replace him. Elliot Anderson had already joined from Nottingham Forest but some questioned whether he would live up to the £116m price tag.

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This was also a summer that saw Bernardo Silva leave the club. City responded by welcoming both Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez to the club. Bouaddi impressed at the World Cup and his ceiling is clearly high despite his tender years. Fernandez felt something of a gamble due to his price tag and the backlash he received following the World Cup but Maresca was determined to get his man having worked with the Argentine at Chelsea.

City's new midfield trio have proven to be exceptional signings. City have assembled a midfield that is arguably better than the one they had at the end of last season, and that looked unthinkable just two months ago.

Anderson is the engine of the midfield, Fernandez has proven to be an asset going forward, while Bouaddi has shown the game intelligence to read what's happening in front of him and snuff out danger. When they play together, like they did against Paris Saint-Germain last week, they showed they can dominate the centre of the park and turn matches in City's favour.

Nobody expected the Blues to start this season looking stronger without Rodri. For so many years he was the player who separated City from the rest. But in two months, there has been little mention of Rodri or wishing he was back in midfield. Instead, the Blues have just carried on and improved on what they were showing last season.

That is arguably Maresca's biggest achievement to date.