Manchester City captains: Enzo Maresca is building a new group

Enzo Maresca has made major changes while forming the Manchester City captaincy group. As the club renews its squad, the head coach is working to identify the team’s leaders, but the situation surrounding Spanish midfielder Rodri and his future has sparked serious discussion within the squad. Goal.com reports that.

According to Goal.com, after Bernardo Silva’s move to Real Madrid, Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland are the only players remaining from last season’s leadership group. The head coach said he does not want to make a final decision until the transfer window closes and will select two more leaders.

Captaincy responsibility and tactics

Maresca stressed that the captaincy gives a player no privileges or freedoms; on the contrary, the demands are even higher. In his view, Ruben Dias has already shown that he is a true leader through his character on the pitch and within the team.

At the same time, there is a small, humorous tactical problem regarding Erling Haaland wearing the captain’s armband. The Italian coach said he usually calls the captain over immediately after a goal to give tactical instructions, suggesting that this could lead to misunderstandings with the Norwegian striker.

Questions surrounding Rodri and Barcelona’s interest

One of the most notable aspects of Maresca’s statement was that Rodri’s name was absent from the captaincy list. Although Barcelona have had a €60 million offer for the midfielder rejected, the player himself reportedly strongly wants to move to Catalonia.

It has emerged that Rodri is taking steps to avoid returning to the team’s training base, as negotiations between the parties have entered a decisive phase. Nevertheless, the head coach firmly stated that he expects the player to return to training on August 14.

Because the club’s transfer business has not yet been completed, Maresca plans to finalize his preseason preparations only after the summer transfer window officially closes. For now, Ruben Dias is expected to lead the team into the new season as its main captain.