Rodri will have to improve in defence and attack if he is going to be a success at Manchester City, according to Albert Ferrer.
The former Barcelona and Spain defender is an admirer of Pep Guardiola's new record signing and sees him as a natural replacement for Sergio Busquets in the national team - a comparison Mikel Arteta and others have made.
Nevertheless, the 23-year-old may not find the switch to Premier League football seamless. City's manager has often spoken of the need for time for his players to get used to his demands and that has been shown in the progress of players such as Bernardo Silva.
Rodri is seen as the long-time successor to Fernandinho but will have the Brazilian alongside him in the squad (if not the team) for at least one more year to help him adapt.
As Ferrer sees it, there are two areas of his game that Rodri must improve at the Etihad.
"He will face challenges at Manchester City because most of the time he has played with another holding midfielder, playing as a two in midfield. If Pep Guardiola wants him to play alone, as City usually do, then that is going to be a test for Rodri," he wrote in The Times.
"Also playing for Atletico Madrid the mindset is more about sitting back, waiting and playing on the counterattack. At City it will be completely different. He will have to change his mentality a bit.
"He will have to be more involved with the ball, have more responsibility in the offensive play and because most of the balls will go through him, he has to be available all the time to receive the ball.
"Something that is also different is that he will have to do the high pressing that City like. He will have to press instead of waiting.
"So there are two things: with the ball he has to be more like a leader and, in terms of defence, he has to be thinking more about being proactive. He has to work on this but I’m sure he can do it. He has the quality to do it."
