Once deemed one of English football’s brightest prospects, Manchester City midfielder Jack Rodwell is not even a name under consideration for Roy Hodgson’s plans this summer.
Having
turned 23 last month, the former Everton starlet has seen his career
effectively stall since making the move to the Etihad in the summer of
2012. With the season drawing to a close and the player clearly out of
favour at the club, what is actually next for Jack Rodwell?
At the
time of his signing, then manager Roberto Mancini outlined his view
that it was a move for the future. Providing an immediate reality check,
the Italian claimed it would be “different” for him in Manchester but
confidently predicted “in a couple of years I am sure he will be a top
and stronger midfielder.”
But after nearly two years, Rodwell has
hardly threatened to become a first team regular under either Mancini or
Manuel Pellegrini. The midfielder has made a grand total of fifteen
appearances in the Premier League for the Citizens, of which only seven
have been starts. Rodwell has made just a single league start in the
current campaign and was recently hauled off at half time of City’s FA
Cup tie with Watford, with the Championship side holding a shock 2-0
lead.
For a player that has seen his short career so far plagued
by injuries, niggling problems have played their part in disrupting the
midfielder’s time on Manchester. Such has been the frequency of
Rodwell’s hamstring troubles that he has gone to incredible lengths to
try and find a solution including moving house and changing cars.
But
even if the midfielder was able to consign these injury concerns to the
past, how likely is he to break into the first team at this point? Yaya
Toure and summer signing Fernandinho have formed an impressive
partnership and with Javi Garcia also ahead of him in the pecking order,
Rodwell is understandably finding it difficult to obtain any reasonable
playing time.
Unfortunately for the former Everton starlet, there
is a sense that he may have only ever been signed in order to boost
City’s homegrown quota. Like Adam Johnson and Scott Sinclair, Rodwell
has made the move to the Etihad and has consequently struggled to prove
himself ahead of his more reputable foreign colleagues. In any case, the
grass certainly hasn’t proven to be any greener.
Ever since his
time in Everton’s academy, Rodwell has always been tipped to become a
star and a memorable goal over Manchester United in 2010 only seemed to
confirm this potential. But even at this stage, injuries plagued the
starlet and meant that David Moyes was happy to accept an offer rumoured
to be as low as £12million for a player seemingly destined for a big
future in the game.
With so many of England’s “Golden Generation”
fading from view, now really should have been Rodwell’s time to impress
on the international stage. The midfielder’s career trajectory should
serve as a warning to Ross Barkley, who is currently being lauded as a
future star for his country having enjoyed a breakout season at Everton.
With rumours linking the starlet with a big money move in the summer,
Barkley would be wise to not follow Rodwell out of the Goodison Park
just yet.
Pellegrini recently insisted that the midfielder would
be staying put at the Etihad, stating that “Jack will continue here.”
But despite this, City are still heavily linked with making another move
for Porto’s Fernando in the summer. If this transfer were to go
through, where would that leave Rodwell?
Recent speculation has
linked the player with a return to Goodison Park, with Roberto Martinez
reportedly keen to re-sign the midfielder. This may constitute a
backwards step in his career but Rodwell is in desperate need of first
team minutes to revive his career. Although it didn’t transpire, Wigan
Athletic were heavily linked with an emergency loan move for the former
prodigy in the last month.
Whatever he decides, Rodwell cannot
afford to continue sitting on the sidelines at the Etihad. The
midfielder will almost certainly be asking “what if” whilst watching the
World Cup unfold at home. Whether it is through a return to Everton or a
loan or transfer elsewhere, Rodwell needs to revive his career. And he
needs to do it fast.
