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Pep Guardiola has cast doubt on Rodri’s availability for Manchester City’s notoriously tough trip to Aston Villa next week.
The City boss insisted there was no chance of the Spain international facing his former club Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday as he recovers from a hamstring problem.
And Rodri – who has suffered three different injury problems since the start of the Club World Cup – could also miss the Premier League game at Villa Park, where they haven’t won since 2021.
“I don’t think so for Villarreal – or Aston Villa,” Guardiola said. It’s not long, but it’s muscular and you have to be careful.
We’ve tried so many times, we’ve tried not to take a risk, but we haven’t been able to (manage) that. So we will see.’
Rodri has been desperate for regular minutes but broke down early in the 1-0 win at Brentford before the international break.
Pep Guardiola insisted there was no chance of the Spain international facing his former club Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday as he recovers from a hamstring problem
Guardiola praised Mateo Kovacic’s return against Everton but urged caution over his recovery
Were the 29-year-old to sit out City’s next two matches, the extent of that hamstring issue will have nudged past three weeks.
Nico Gonzalez excelled during Saturday’s victory over Everton and continues to improve in the defensive midfield area, while Mateo Kovacic featured for the first time since May after an Achilles operation.
‘Kovacic has a special quality with the ball to keep it,’ Guardiola added. ‘We cannot forget he’s coming from surgery, a three or four-month injury. We need his quality back.
I want Kovacic for 90 minutes, 90 minutes, 90 minutes. In the time, we’ll get it. But now I don’t have that feeling that he’s ready to play that. And it will not help him. But 20, 30 minutes… all the players we have, in different ways we can play, are extraordinary.’
