Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that midfielder Rodri has suffered a fresh injury setback and is unlikely to be fully fit until after the upcoming September international break.
The 29-year-old Spaniard, who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, spent the majority of last season on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a match against Arsenal last September.
Rodri made a brief return late in the 2024–25 season, coming off the bench during City’s penultimate Premier League fixture against Bournemouth. He also featured during the summer at the Club World Cup in the United States, where City were eliminated in the round of 16 by Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
Rodri appeared as a second-half substitute in that game but was forced off during extra time with what is believed to be a groin issue.
“Rodri is getting better, but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal,” Guardiola said. “He’s trained better over the past few days. Hopefully, after the international break, he will be really fit.”
City begin their Premier League campaign against Wolves on 16 August, followed by fixtures against Tottenham and Brighton before the international break in early September.
Guardiola indicated Rodri may be eased back gradually: “Hopefully he can play some minutes in those matches, but what matters most is that he’s pain-free. We don’t want to risk Rodri coming back injured—we’ll try to avoid that at all costs.”
“He’s trained with us in the last two sessions, and that’s a good sign,” Guardiola added.