Manchester City midfielder Rodri has suffered an injury setback and is unlikely to be “really fit” until after the September international break, says manager Pep Guardiola.
The Spain international spent most of the 2024-25 season sidelined as a result of suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury last September.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner returned to action when he came on as a late substitute in City’s penultimate Premier League game of last season against Bournemouth.
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The 29-year-old was also part of Guardiola’s squad at the Club World Cup in the United States during in the summer when City went out at the last-16 stage to Al-Hilal.
Rodri came on as a second-half substitute against the Saudi Arabian side but went off early in extra time with what is thought to have been a groin issue.
“Rodri is getting better but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal,” said Guardiola.
“He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break, he will be really fit.”
City open their Premier League campaign at Wolves on 16 August and then play Tottenham and Brighton before the September internationals.
“Hopefully in these games, he can play some minutes, but what is important is that he doesn’t have pain because we don’t want Rodri coming back injured. We will try desperately to avoid that,” Guardiola added.
“He has been training the last two sessions with us and that’s good.”
