Next summer Manchester City could be presented with a midfield conundrum and by now they should know how to solve it.
In Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, City have arguably the best midfield unit in club football. No other team in the world can claim to have three No.8s of such quality, while only a handful can argue that they have a defensive midfielder better than Rodri.
However, eventually time catches up with every footballer, particularly midfielders. The position is perhaps the most physically and mentally demanding on the pitch, with only a select few — Luka Modric being the obvious example — able to keep playing at an elite level into their late 30s.
