Hugo Viana has been doing the rounds, and the sporting director's reflections on three of City's most significant departures make for compelling reading.

The exits of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones would have been seismic in any summer. All three were integral to the most successful era in the club's history. All three have now moved on. Rodri joined Barcelona, Silva signed for Real Madrid, and Stones headed to Inter Milan.

What makes this particular window even more jarring is that it came alongside Pep Guardiola's own farewell. The Catalan's departure was always going to signal a shift, but few could have predicted the scale of the rebuild that followed.

Viana has been candid about the difficulty of replacing such figures. "You cannot replace them. It's impossible. Inside the pitch and outside," he said.

That sentiment will resonate with anyone who watched Silva and Stones accumulate 754 combined appearances in sky blue. The pair started their final game together in Guardiola's farewell match against Aston Villa last season, a fitting if painful send-off.

According to Viana, both players felt they could not stay in the Premier League. "They had to go abroad because they cannot face Manchester City," he explained. "I feel they're Manchester City fans for sure."

Stones and Silva, he added, were "really important for the club, really important in the dressing room and day by day." Their connection to the club ran deep, which is partly why a move to another English side was never on the cards.

Rodri's departure carried its own emotional weight. The midfielder admitted he always believed he would end his career at the Etihad Stadium before a "change of cycle" convinced him to join Barcelona. Viana revealed that after the World Cup, the two had "a really honest conversation," with Rodri expressing a desire to return to Spain. "We understood," Viana said.

"Of course we would've liked to keep him," he continued. "We were having positive conversations with him and his agent."

Rodri leaves as a valued member of the 2023 Treble team, a side that will forever be etched into the club's history. "He had brilliant years," Viana said. "Another player we cannot replace because he's one of the best, if not the best, in that position."

Viana also believes Rodri remains a City fan, a sentiment that echoes his view on Stones and Silva. "It's another thing we should be proud of: how we treat that player that gave so much to this club," he added.

The rebuild itself has been swift and expensive. Elliot Anderson arrived from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, followed by Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for £125 million. Ayyoub Bouaddi cost £86 million, and Everton's Iliman Ndiaye came in for £65 million. A midfield revamp that began with Anderson now looks complete.

Whether it can replicate the success of what came before is another matter entirely. Viana knows that better than most.