3 reasons why Atletico's Rodri is the next Sergio Busquets

Much recently, the newspapers in the blue half of Manchester have been flooded with City having finally found the replacement for their ageing midfielder, Fernandinho. It is none other than Atletico Madrid's Rodrigo Hernandez, better known as Rodri.

Having been seen as a favourite to take the place of Fernandinho by Pep Guardiola himself is a big accomplishment for the 22-year-old midfielder, even during his short stint at Atletico Madrid who signed him for £18 million last summer.

Now Atleti are set to cash in from the player as bids from England and Germany fly in, with the range between £50-£70 million. This means the club will definitely sell Rodri at a price which might be 3 times the cost which they paid for him just a year back. Fantastic footballing finance.

Having closely observed Rodri this season, it is evident that the Spaniard has a close resemblance to his Spanish counterpart Sergio Busquets on the field, with the latter being the best in the position for many years now.

As the Spanish national team's transition from Busquets to Rodri starts taking shape, we take a look at the 3 reasons why the 22-year-old might just be the next Sergio Busquets, or maybe even better.

---

#3 Extremely similar playing style

Atletico de Madrid's Ridrigo is very similar to Busquets in terms of playing style.

If you watch Rodri and Busquets on the field in their respective matches, you might find the players identical with the only difference being the colours they wear.

Rodri is an excellent winner of the ball in his own half and can dispossess the opposition playmakers very easily. He is also an excellent passer of the ball, with his proficiency being his long balls.

It is an absolute delight to watch him control the midfield in a high tempo game, and just when the things are moving on one flank, he sends in a high cross to another Atleti player on the other flank - a treat to watch.

Well, whatever skill set Rodri has been lauded with above has been Sergio Busquets' daily routine at the Nou Camp for the past decade or so.

#2 Matching Physical traits

Sergio vs Rodrigo

Just to get the statistics and facts right, Rodri is just an inch longer than Sergio Busquets at 6 feet 3 inches, and with the weight difference of 6 kilograms in favour of the former again, both the players have an almost identical body frame.

This is an important factor in calculating the similarities between the two midfielders because similar physical traits enable both of them to use their body weight to their advantage in winning the ball in key areas and using their height in aerial duels in any part of the pitch.

Though Sergio Busquets is not very known for his heading abilities in the opposition penalty box, Rodri has been a key threat in those areas for Atleti, and even scored a few headers for the team.

Rodri might just replace Busquets in the Spanish team and nobody would even realize the difference in the physical presence in the traditional Spanish number 5 position.

#1 Both are masters of the holding midfielder role

Sergio vs Rodrigo

Rodri operates in the same position as Sergio Busquets does, in the defensive midfield position, as previously mentioned - the traditional Spanish number 5 position.

Their role is similar when it comes to tactics of both Atletico and Barcelona - being an additional defender during opposition counter-attacks, win the ball before the opposition attack reaches the back four, and if possible, distribute the play to all parts of the pitch using long range passes - both aerial and grounded.

Sergio Busquets has been doing his thing for a decade now, and Rodri might have had only 2 seasons of professional display of his skill set - he certainly looks like one for the future.

Highly possible that if he takes the right decision and lands at Manchester City next season, we might just be in for Pep Guardiola creating another Sergio Busquets in world football.