The new Rodri? Mateo Kovacic plays up talk of replacing Man City's all-conquering midfielder

Kovacic was the unlikely hero for Pep Guardiola during Manchester City's 3-2 win over Fulham on Saturday as the Croatian midfielder scored twice past Bernd Leno. The eight-time Premier League winners were far from their best on the night, as has been the case for the most part since they lost Rodri to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear last month.

Kovacic slotted into Rodri's position in a single pivot at the Etihad against Fulham, something which Guardiola had not trialled since the Spaniard's injury against Arsenal. The Premier League champions have gone with a double-pivot system since the injury, however, against the Cottagers, Kovacic was given the nod in a single-pivot system, and the former Real Madrid man believes he can replace the Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament for the rest of the season.

Speaking to the media, Kovacic said: "I am playing there in the middle at the moment and of course, we need to cover for Rodri, we miss him a lot.

“I think any team would miss him, the player that he is, and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope he comes back as good shape as possible.

"For now we have to adapt and for sure the manager has a lot of options so we can rotate."

The Croatian will now join his national team for their Nations League clashes against Scotland and Poland before returning to Manchester for City's Premier League match against Wolves on October 20.