Tom Lockyer was stunned by how complete of a player Rodri was when he faced him this season.

When Luton Town suffered a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at Kenilworth Road, the Spanish international was one of the visitors' standout performers.

Rodri typically controlled proceedings during a largely frustrating afternoon of football for City, considering Luton had taken the lead at the stroke of half-time.

Tom Lockyer says Rodri is basically flawless Pep Guardiola's men were far from their vintage selves as the hosts' compact defence, combative midfield and physically domineering forwards made it an uncomfortable contest for them for much of the clash.

But the 27-year-old somehow put in yet another world-class display, as he tends to away from home, which is one of the many facets that make him a leader in this Sky Blues side.

Luton skipper Tom Lockyer reflected on going toe-to-toe with Rodri and he questioned whether he had any weakness in his game after the contest.

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Mark Chapman quizzed Tom Lockyer about which attributes in particular make Rodri such a special player.

"Just a Rolls-Royce. He's literally just a Rolls-Royce. He was controlling the midfield, he just dictated everything. Everything went through him and when you thought you had him pressed and you were going to nick the ball, you weren't. He was teasing you in."

"He was just teasing you in so his next pass had more time on the ball. It was literally like that. The other types of games that he plays, it's very rare that he gets caught on the ball and he dictates everything Man City do."

Rodri will be talked about in such glowing terms for years Watching Manchester City and Luton in action in December, one can understand exactly why Tom Lockyer was as blown away by Rodri as he sounds.

As the treble-winner continues to establish himself as one of the best midfielders in the world, those who are especially facing him in his prime will reflect on how outstanding a player he was after he retires.

In August last year, Bruno Fernandes admitted that the Manchester City maestro is one of the toughest players he has ever come up against.