In his first official public appearance as Manchester City’s newly appointed head coach, Enzo Maresca has delivered two key updates for the Premier League giants: confirming star midfielder Rodri will undergo urgent back surgery next week, and quelling widespread transfer speculation by reaffirming the Ballon d’Or winner remains part of the club’s long-term plans.
The announcement of Rodri’s upcoming procedure caps a turbulent 12 months for the Spanish international, who already navigated an ACL injury in 2024 that disrupted his entire club campaign. Despite the fitness setback, Rodri emerged as a driving force behind Spain’s 2024 World Cup triumph, cementing his status as one of the most influential midfielders in global football. Maresca declined to specify a timeline for Rodri’s recovery from his latest back issue, but made clear the club has no intention of allowing their talisman to leave.
“Big players always attract speculation, that’s just part of the game, and I’m not concerned about it,” Maresca told reporters on Friday. “After winning the World Cup, of course every top club will be linked to one of the best players in the world. Any manager would jump at the chance to sign Rodri, he’s a generational talent. But right now, the focus is on his surgery scheduled for Monday. He needs time to rest, recover, and heal properly. When he’s ready, he’ll be back with this squad.”
Maresca’s introductory press conference came just weeks after the departure of Pep Guardiola, the iconic manager who stepped down at the end of the 2023-24 season after an unprecedented eight-year reign of success at the Etihad Stadium. Across his tenure at City, Guardiola claimed 17 major honours, including six Premier League titles and the club’s first-ever Champions League crown in 2023. With 35 major trophies collected across stints at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, Guardiola is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers in football history.
For 46-year-old Maresca, taking the helm at City marks a homecoming rather than an entirely new chapter. The Italian coach previously cut his teeth at the club as an academy coach during the 2020-21 season, before stepping up to serve as Guardiola’s assistant for the 2022-23 campaign – the historic treble-winning season where City claimed the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. After two recent senior management spells at Leicester City and Chelsea, Maresca said returning to City felt like coming full circle.
“It is an absolute privilege to be asked to lead this club,” Maresca said. “I’ve said many times before that Pep is the best manager of the last 20 to 25 years, and stepping into his role is a huge challenge – but it’s one I embrace wholeheartedly. I think the club chose me because my tactical philosophy aligns closely with the foundations built here. We want to keep playing aggressive, possession-based football that imposes our will on opponents. At the end of the day, that’s what matters: winning matches and continuing this club’s incredible run of success.”