Rodri Suffers Injury Setback At Club World Cup, Guardiola Provides Update On Recovery

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Pep Guardiola has shared that Rodri will likely not be fully fit until after the September international break. This follows an injury setback at the Club World Cup. The Manchester City midfielder had previously missed most of the 2024-25 season due to a ruptured ACL sustained against Arsenal last September.

Rodri made a comeback as a substitute in the second-to-last Premier League game of the 2024-25 season. He also played in all four matches at the Club World Cup. However, he was taken off during the match against Al-Hilal due to a groin issue. Guardiola remains hopeful that Rodri can contribute in upcoming games against Wolves, Tottenham, and Brighton.

The manager emphasised they won't risk further injury by rushing Rodri back too soon. "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."

Guardiola added, "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." Rodri has participated in recent training sessions, which is encouraging for his recovery.

This summer, Manchester City strengthened their midfield by signing Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, and Sverre Nypan. Despite these additions, Rodri remains crucial for Guardiola's strategy. Since his Community Shield debut in August 2019, City's win rate with him starting is 73.2%. Without him, it drops to 61.7% across all competitions.

The team's performance statistics highlight Rodri's impact further. When he plays, City scores an average of 2.5 goals per game and concedes just 0.8 goals. In his absence, these figures change to 2.2 goals scored and 1 goal conceded per match.

Manchester City aims to manage Rodri's return carefully to ensure long-term fitness while maintaining their competitive edge on the field.