His name may not carry the same weight or glamour as the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany, but there is no doubting that Fernandinho is a Manchester City great.
This summer marks nine years since City signed the Brazilian midfielder from Shakhtar Donetsk and during that time he has become a fan favourite at the Etihad Stadium.
Fernandinho can count himself as one of the best holding midfielders to play in the Premier League, with City fans loving him for his commitment, leadership qualities and never-say-die attitude.
Yet, having made 370 appearances for City, it has felt for a while like this season will be his last in sky blue. The club captain will turn 37 before the current campaign is out and, to be brutally honest, in some of his recent outings he has looked every day of that age.
With Rodri firmly cemented as Pep Guardiola's preferred holding midfielder after a rocky couple of years, it seemed natural that Fernandinho would leave the club when his current contract expires in June. However, the plan might have changed.
The Times reported early this month that City's number 25 feels he still has another year of top-level football left in him and that he has no desire to leave Manchester. That story has been followed up by reports this week that City are working on a new one-year deal for their captain, with Guardiola happy to keep him in the building as a back-up option.
There has been talk that Fernandinho could take on a player-coach role - his touchline gesticulation during the Spurs defeat suggested he holds an interest in coaching - although Guardiola's preference might be to keep him as a player for now.
Should that be the case, then City would be saving themselves an awful lot of money as well as opening up a pathway to the first-team for one of our brightest stars in their academy.
If Fernandinho were to leave, then City would probably have to go in search of a replacement defensive midfielder. Ilkay Gundogan is capable of playing in a holding role from time-to-time - although he is much better suited to playing as a number eight - but Guardiola is unlikely to want to go into a season with Rodri as his only senior option who specialises in that position.
West Ham's Declan Rice is a player long linked with City, but he would not come cheaply; the Hammers would likely demand in excess of £100m for the England international. To pay that kind of money for a player that would play back-up to Rodri, and who has no guarantees of suiting Guardiola's system, seems out of the question.
Instead of gambling on another new signing, by keeping Fernandinho in the squad City would send youngster Romeo Lavia a clear message that he can be the long-term future of City's midfield.
The 18-year-old arrived at City from Anderlecht in 2020 after Guardiola spotted him playing at a youth tournament. An out-and-out defensive midfielder, there is no-one better for Lavia to learn the Fernandinho role from than Fernandinho himself.
If Fernandinho stays at the club then Lavia could continue to develop. He could share the Rodri deputy duties with the veteran and, depending on his progress, maybe even replace him as Guardiola's second-choice midfield option.
Of course, a lot depends on how Lavia develops and the opportunities that Guardiola can afford him. But what seems clear is that if City let Fernandinho go and bring in a big-money replacement, then there would be a pretty large obstacle placed in front of the teenager's progress.
From a sentimental, financial and forward-thinking point of view, keeping Fernandinho at the club for one more year makes perfect sense.
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