. The 23-year-old Spaniard has arrived from Porto for £50m to help fill the huge hole left by his compatriot Rodri in front of the defence but the former Barcelona man is a very different player. City will need to adapt to him, rather than the other way round, if they are to solve their gaping problem.
Pep Guardiola’s and City’s difficulties have been glaringly apparent since Rodri tore a cruciate ligament in September. They have lacked physicality and mobility in midfield, leaving them to endure a dreadful run and arguably the best coach of his generation has been unable to find a solution with what was available to him. González’s welcome to England, and the first test of his capabilities and La Masia upbringing, could come at League One Leyton Orient in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Finding someone to replace the irreplaceable was an impossible task, so City searched for someone who could complement Rodri in the future, while being able to soothe ills rather than eradicate them. González will need someone alongside him, whereas Rodri often coped alone.
González was born in Galicia and moved to Barcelona’s La Masia academy aged 11, aided by having “football in his blood”, according to his former coach Franc Artiga, in reference to his dad Fran, who was a Spain international alongside Guardiola. “Nico is a very smart player and a very clever boy in general,” says Artiga, who coached González for five years. “He was a good student in school and worked hard on his education. He developed physically late on; before then he needed to rely on his intelligence. He was always asking the coaches a lot of questions about different topics. He wanted to learn from the coaches – it is not normal that you have someone of that age who …
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