Manchester City have long held a position of financial power in the transfer market, but even they cannot stop the passing of time.Across the last 10 seasons, the club has seen long-serving players leave almost annually, with Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva recently joining the long list of departed club legends. Technically brilliant, decisive and relentless, all have possessed a rare combination of standout attributes that City’s recruitment analysts have continually worked hard to replace.That said, Rodri’s potential move to Real Madrid feels different. Finding his successor is even more critical.Alongside Pep Guardiola’s exit this summer, City are losing a foundational pillar of their possession-heavy style of play. Rodri’s quality on the ball has dictated the way they have moved up the pitch. When they lose possession, his unmatched sense of anticipation has allowed them to push on without fear of being caught defensively.And, unlike others who have gone before, Rodri is not leaving as a faded, ageing version of his former self. Having just won the World Cup with Spain, and the award for the tournament’s best player, the 30-year-old would be stepping away just as he looks to be returning to his imperious best.Is Rodri back to his Ballon d'Or best?Reuben PinderCity have already made moves to bolster their options in midfield, with the club-record acquisition of Elliot Anderson originally signalling their intent to add athleticism alongside Rodri. Their growing interest in 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi points to long-term planning.But that future has arrived sooner than they expected, so how could new manager Enzo Maresca set up to minimise the impact of Rodri’s departure?Replacing Rodri will be difficult. He takes possession under pressure more than his team-mates and consistently picks the best pass, adding value to many of the passing moves in which he is involved.Since joining the club in 2019, he has averaged close to 109 touches per game, far clear of any other player in the division, all while maintaining a passing accuracy of close to 92 per cent.The scatter plot below helps illustrate his unwavering skill to keep the ball moving and link up with his team-mates when compared to other midfielders.Setting the tempo is important at City, and Rodri knows when to snap into a more attacking gear. He is effective when striding through midfield with the ball at his feet or picking out an incisive, line-breaking pass.The visualisation below, using data from SkillCorner, illustrates his varied distribution, based on the passes he has played that led to shots for City within 10 seconds of completion.Most frequently, Rodri will pick up the pace and fire a pass from deep midfield into attacking players in dangerous central areas.