Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Manchester City midfielder Rodri is still recovering from an injury and may not be fully fit for the start of the Premier League season.
The 29-year-old missed most of 2024/25 after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Arsenal last September. He was out for eight months after undergoing surgery.
Rodri made three appearances in May, before starting in Man City’s 5-2 Club World Cup win over Juventus.
However, Rodri suffered a fresh setback in the round of 16 clash with Al-Hilal, limping off in extra time.
Guardiola revealed on Friday that the Ballon d’Or winner has been sidelined for five to six weeks and will not travel for Saturday’s friendly against sister club Palermo.
The Spaniard is one of four players, including Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol and Claudio Echeverri, omitted from the squad due to fitness issues.
“Rodri is getting better,” Guardiola said (via Mancity.com). “Hopefully, after the international break (early September), he will be really fit.
“We don’t want him coming back injured, so we’ll manage his minutes carefully.”
Man City struggled badly without Rodri last season, finishing third in the league and failing to win a trophy.
Guardiola will not have the influential midfielder for the August 16 opener at Wolverhampton Wanderers, followed by Tottenham Hotspur at home and Brighton & Hove Albion away.
Rodri’s absence is compounded by Mateo Kovacic’s recovery from Achilles surgery, ruling him out until mid-September. However, Man City have enough options in their engine room.
Tijjani Reijnders, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Nico Gonzalez are expected to share the midfield load in the meantime.
City will be desperate to have Rodri fully fit for the Champions League’s group phase and key domestic clashes against Manchester United and Arsenal after the international break.
