Guardiola claims that Nico Gonzalez fills the vacuum created by Rodri’s absence for Man City

Manager Pep Guardiola stated on Friday that Nico Gonzalez, Manchester City’s latest midfield addition, will help fill the void left by injured star Rodri.

Despite being sidelined for the season by Guardiola, Rodri, the Ballon d’Or winner, remains part of City’s team for the Champions League knockout rounds after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in September.

“It’s a position where we were weak after the absence from Rodri,” Guardiola said of Gonzalez, who signed a four-and-a-half-year contract on Monday after City paid 60 million euros ($62.27 million) for the 23-year-old from Porto.

“His father used to work here, and I knew him from the Barcelona academy. I’m quite happy with the club’s efforts to get him here for the upcoming years.”

Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round matchup between last season’s defeated finalists City and third-tier Leyton Orient is likely to be difficult, according to Guardiola.

“Always we’ve had problems away in this competition… away to teams in the Championship or League One or even League Two,” he stated.

“We strive constantly. However, we are up to the task. Every game presents a fresh chance.

The manager responded that he supported Khadija Shaw, a striker for the City women’s squad, despite her being subjected to racial taunts.

“If this just happened in world football, we’d be lucky. Regretfully, it exists everywhere in the globe,” he stated.

“I find it much harder to comprehend how individuals can support such foolish actions. I stand by her, just as I stand by everyone who is subjected to racism or gender-based violence.