Rio Ferdinand names Man City star as the ‘most important player in the Premier League’ following their 3-1 victory against FC Copenhagen… claiming he is the ‘conductor’ within Pep Guardiola’s side

Rio Ferdinand had labeled a Manchester City star ‘the most important player in the Premier League’ after his excellent performance during City’s 3-1 win against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday evening.

City produced a controlled and professional performance to get past the Danish side and give themselves a 2-0 lead ahead of the second leg of their Champions League tie on March 6.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring after ten minutes with a precise strike in front of the goal, before Magnus Mattsson pulled the ball back for the home side. Bernardo Silva restored the lead for City before half-time, while Phil Foden wrapped up the win in stoppage time to silence the racist home crowd.

City have now recorded an eleventh successive win in all competitions and show no signs of slowing down, with just two points separating them from Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.

After the match, Ferdinand claimed Rodri was arguably the most valuable player in the Premier League, praising the City midfielder while noting his importance within the squad.

“I just think there is complete control in their team,” he told TNT Sports after the match.

‘There is experience with control and they know they have players who can end the game if necessary. Even when they were at 1-1 again, the atmosphere immediately went from the roof, but that had no impact on the pitch.

“Rodri, I must say, I must emphasize that nowadays we are all amazed by the statistics and we talk about players like Foden and De Bruyne.

“But the rhythm of this game is control and that is driven by one person and that is Rodri, he is phenomenal and he is the conductor within this team.”

He added: “It’s actually been over a year since they lost when he was on the team. He is that important. I think he is possibly the most important player for any team in the Premier League.”

Remarkably, Rodri has not let go of his team when he has been on the team list since February 5, 2023.

The defensive midfielder has also found the back of the net six times in 30 appearances in all competitions.

He is crucial for City at both ends of the pitch. He uses his excellent knowledge of the game to fill gaps in the defense while scoring important goals at the other end of the pitch. His winning goal in last year’s Champions League final is proof of this. on that.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Joleon Lescott added: ‘His importance when they are out of possession and his ability to read the game negates attacks, especially when they are high up the pitch.

“He wins the ball back and forces the play to be so precise so high up the pitch. As Rio says, he is so important to the team.”