Pep Guardiola gave Rodri a consistent “seven or eight” out of ten for his Manchester City performances this season.
The Spain midfielder has been the bedrock of the Blues ’ best form with a series of steady, technically excellent displays at the heart of the team.
In midweek at Aston Villa, Guardiola paired him with fellow defensive midfielder Fernandinho, largely as a result of injury problems biting deep into his squad.
And Guardiola says the £63million buy from Atletico Madrid has picked up the pace again this season after finding the end of last season tough after playing week in, week out - that led to him being left out for the Champions League final.
Asked about Rodri, Guardiola said: “Fernandinho is Fernandinho, Rodri is Rodri. Fernandinho is still with us and has done for this club on the pitch, the people don't know off the pitch which is amazing.
“Rodri is 23, 24. Everything is a process. Last season he played good, maybe in the last part of the season dropped a little bit but we gave him more minutes last season - you have to be careful this season.
“The fact we are out of the Carabao Cup is good for that. He is playing an extraordinary level, the consistency.
“Not one game, he has to be here, seven, right, seven, eight, all the time. Cannot be three or four because it destroys the team, cannot be ten because ten is for the strikers. He is playing this consistency, defensively, offensively.”
