LONDON: Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana believes Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi are capable of repeating the impact Rodri and Bernardo Silva had at the Etihad.
Viana was a key player in City’s pursuit of the midfield trio for a combined £327 million in the recent transfer window.
Fernandez, Anderson and Bouaddi arrived in Manchester as part of a major squad shake-up following the departure of manager Pep Guardiola and several key players at the end of last season.
Rodri joined Barcelona, while Portugal midfielder Silva moved to Real Madrid, leaving a huge void in City’s midfield.
Both players won a total of 10 Premier League titles in addition to the Champions League and several other trophies during their time with City.
However, Viana is confident that the loss of these two pillars can be offset by the contributions of Fernandez, Anderson and Bouaddi.
“We can’t forget that we lost very important players in the midfield like Rodri and Bernardo.
“It’s important to bring in quality, but also the character and mentality that Enzo has. He’s only been here for three weeks but it feels like he’s been with us for a year or two.
“He has the mentality we are looking for in that position because Rodri and Bernardo have been so important to this club over the last decade.
“We all believe Enzo, Bouaddi and Anderson can be as important as Rodri and Bernardo in the past,” Viana told City media.
Fernandez was signed from Chelsea for 125 million pounds, which equaled the British transfer record, while Anderson cost 116 million pounds from Nottingham Forest and Bouaddi was valued at 86 million pounds when he joined from Lille.
Viana also described Anderson as a player who still has a lot of room to develop after only two months with City.
“He’s only been with us for two months. He’ll develop further.
“We knew we had to pay a big transfer fee to get him. That shows how much we believe he will be a Manchester City player for five, six or seven years.
“He will definitely be a very important player,” he said.
Bouaddi, who represents Morocco, also caught the eye at the recent World Cup and is seen by City as a long-term option to fill the position once dominated by Rodri.
“His potential is very high. We all believe he can be a very important player.
“That’s a position we think needs serious attention in this transfer window and Bouaddi has always been our target,” he added.