Enzo Maresca faced the cameras for the first time as Manchester City manager on Thursday, tasked with succeeding Pep Guardiola – but immediately had to address his Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder Rodri's back surgery and the club's record £116m signing of Elliot Anderson.
Rodri, 30, who led Spain to World Cup glory last week and was named Golden Ball winner, will undergo surgery on Monday, Maresca confirmed. The midfielder's last two seasons at City were hampered by an anterior cruciate ligament injury and subsequent setbacks. "Now, [he has] surgery on Monday. Then he needs a holiday, he needs to rest and recover and then he will be back with us," the Italian said, though he did not specify a return date.
“Maresca confirms Rodri back surgery and brushes off transfer talk, as City sign Anderson for club-record £116m.”
Maresca dismissed speculation linking Rodri to Real Madrid. "Around big players there are always speculations so I am not worried about that," he said. "I think it is normal, also because they won the World Cup and because he is one of the best players. I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he is a top player."
The manager also confirmed the signing of Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a club-record £116m, a fee reflecting the 23-year-old's emergence as a key part of England's World Cup squad under Thomas Tuchel, who called him "the full package". Anderson, a product of Wallsend Boys' Club, was reluctantly sold by Newcastle to Forest in July 2024 for £35m over profit and sustainability rules – a deal Eddie Howe described as "the most reluctant in my career".
Maresca, who succeeded Guardiola after the Catalan's 10-year, 20-trophy reign, acknowledged the challenge of following a legend. He drew parallels to Manchester United's decline after Sir Alex Ferguson, when David Moyes was sacked within 10 months. "I consider Pep to be the best coach in the world in the last 20-25 years, so it's a challenge," he said. "But I think the organisation is the main thing. This club has had three managers in 17 years. This is not normal, it doesn't happen often, so this is one of the things why I'm confident we can do a great job."
Maresca, who left Chelsea in January after 18 months, expects other players to return three to four days before City face Arsenal in the Community Shield on 16 August. For now, his reign begins with a midfield linchpin sidelined and a new record signing to integrate – a test of whether City can avoid the post-legend slump that befell their neighbours.