Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri will miss both the Champions League clash with Villarreal and Saturday’s Premier League game at Aston Villa. This was revealed by sports journalist Fabrizio Romano via his official X account, he claimed Guardiola admitted the Spanish midfielder hasn’t recovered in time.
Fabrizio Posted:
Pep Guardiola: I don’t think Rodri will be available vs Villarreal… and Aston Villa I don’t think so either. It’s not long but it’s muscular. We have to be careful.
Rodri, who picked up the 2024 Ballon d’Or, suffered a hamstring issue in City’s 1-0 win over Brentford earlier this month. He limped off just 22 minutes into the match and later pulled out of Spain’s World Cup qualifiers. He also missed the 2-0 win over Everton last weekend.
Guardiola explained the injury isn’t too serious but needs patience. But they will have to be careful, as the injury is a muscular one, City have been easing Rodri back gradually after a serious knee injury kept him out for most of last season, and Pep’s not ready to rush things now.
Losing Rodri again is a real headache. The midfielder is at the heart of everything City does, controlling tempo, breaking play, and dictating rhythm. Without him, there’s a clear gap in the middle of the park, especially as Mateo Kovačić is also being managed carefully because of an Achilles problem.
With City sitting second in the Premier League and still smarting from that 2-2 draw against AS Monaco in their last Champions League match, these next fixtures could test their depth more than ever.
Guardiola remains hopeful his midfield general will be back soon but made it clear he won’t gamble and for now, City must find a way to cope without the man who makes them tick.
