Jay Rodriguez Must Not Entertain Manchester City Interest for Sake of His Career
Premier League titans Manchester City are monitoring the progress of Southampton forward Jay Rodriguez, reports claim, but the 25-year-old must evade a move in the interest of his development.
James Robson of the Manchester Evening News claims that "City have asked to be kept informed...as they weigh up a summer move for the Southampton striker."
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"The Premier League champions have been monitoring the England international since last season," Robson continues.
"But they are not expected to launch an official bid until Rodriguez proves he has fully recovered from the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered at City in April."
Rodriguez is yet to make an appearance for Saints this season.
Robson acknowledges previous interest from Tottenham Hotspur, suggesting that, when fit, Rodriguez will be the subject of a transfer battle between the league's big-hitters.
But the forward must ignore such dealings, as his progress is best served at Southampton.
Jay Rodriguez
There is no surprise that interest in Rodriguez endures, with the forward enjoying an exceptional season with the Saints in the Premier League last term.
In 33 appearances, Rodriguez hit 15 goals, as well as creating a further three assists.
This is a fair return on the £7 million the club paid for his services the previous season and a marker of his ambition, as noted in an interview with Southampton's official website on his arrival.
"The sky is the limit," Rodriguez professed, and this was evident in the side's 4-0 win over Newcastle United in March when he scored a brace to mark a persistent display of sheer quality.
Able to play all across the front line, in attacking midfield or as a No. 9, Rodriguez's main quality is his movement, which contributed to his 15-goal haul as he eluded opposing defences with ease.
During the summer, following Ronald Koeman's appointment on the south coast, chairman Ralph Krueger declared Rodriguez and midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, via Sky Sports, as "not for sale."
"In and around [Rodriguez] and [Schneiderlin] and the rest of our core players, we’re excited to continue to build forward," Krueger continued.
That Southampton have so far dug their heels in with regards to Rodriguez's future is particularly telling as to how important he is to Koeman in seeing his side progress, as a number of other departures at the time underlines.
Southampton's Summer Exodus
If Rodriguez needs any further encouragement beyond his projected importance to Koeman's side in the future, the aftermath of Southampton's summer exodus should be considered.
Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers all left the club for considerable fees prior to the current season, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal their destinations.
At present, only Lallana can be considered as close to being a success at his new club, Liverpool, with four goals and two assists from 14 games in the Premier League.
"If Lallana scored this yesterday https://t.co/4NwGdjeqmR it would've been mental! Amazing volley.
— Adam Lallana 20 (@AL20Fans) January 21, 2015"
Rodriguez should take their failure to rise to the expectations of clubs with such inflated reputations as an example as to why a big-money move to a Champions League-challenging club is not always the right choice.
Southampton legend and Sky Sports pundit Matt Le Tissier spoke to the Daily Star earlier this season and made a similar point.
"If the seasons don't go well for the lads that have left, he could look at that and think sometimes the grass is not greener on [the] other side and we can keep hold of him here," said Le Tissier.
Rodriguez is cherished at Southampton and will likely flourish under the successful Koeman—this is not likely at City.
Manchester City, Wilfried Bony and Scott Sinclair
City's stance in these reports is an intriguing one, particularly as their interest comes after their January signing of Wilfried Bony from Swansea City.
The Ivory Coast international moved to the Etihad in a £28 million deal earlier in the window, and the striker told his new club's official website, "It’s a big honour to be here and it’s a great challenge."
The challenge is a considerable one given the club already possess three highly gifted forwards in their first-team ranks.
Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic offer the manager different options in terms of playing styles and have served as able deputies to undisputed first-choice striker Sergio Aguero, who has hit 14 goals in 17 league games this season.
That City manager Manuel Pellegrini described Bony as "a very good addition to our squad" highlights his role at the club, likely as a rotational centre-forward.
Bony has moved to City with a considerable challenge on his hands and is unlikely to supplant the majestic Aguero as the club's first choice.
This is far removed from his key status at Swansea.
Rodriguez is arguably of lesser immediate quality than Bony and as such could find the step up even more of a struggle.
".@MCFC have asked to be kept informed about the availability of @SouthamptonFC striker Jay Rodriguez. Do City even need him?
— Onefootball (@Onefootball) January 23, 2015"
This is particularly pertinent given the serious injury that Rodriguez suffered against City last season, which has ruled him out of action ever since—making such an advancement so soon after a return could be damaging.
Instead, the forward must look to the struggles of Scott Sinclair at City who, after an £8 million move from Swansea in 2012, has made just 13 league appearances and seen his development stunted almost irrevocably.
Sinclair was set for a move to Aston Villa this January, but manager Paul Lambert claimed, via Gregg Evans of the Birmingham Mail, that a deal wasn't "financially feasible."
Unable to leave and unable to break into Pellegrini's first team, Sinclair is stunted and exiled.
Jay Rodriguez must avoid a similar move to Manchester City in the summer—they simply don't need him, and he is too big a talent to diminish on the Etihad substitutes' bench.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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