Manchester City boss unable to confirm when midfielder will be available
Rodri was left out of Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Burnley on Saturday due to pain in his knee, manager Pep Guardiola has said.
The midfield maestro has struggled to regain full fitness since he returned from an eight-month-long absence due to injury in May.
“Rodri was training and said, ‘I’m not able to play. I have a lot of pain in my knee. I cannot play, I cannot play.’” Guardiola told reporters.
“And I said, ‘If you cannot play, you cannot play.’”
The Spain international sustained an ACL injury in September last year which ruled him out for most of the season. He returned in May after missing over 50 games but has been faced with knee problems since.
He suffered a setback in the Club World Cup which saw him taken off after he was brought on in the second half against Al-Hilal. Then he also missed the Citizens’ Premier opener against Wolves over a month later.
His minutes have been managed carefully since but he looked like his injury issues were behind him after starting against Manchester United, Napoli and Arsenal, before the latest setback.
Asked whether Rodri would be available for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Monaco, Guardiola said: “I don’t know yet.”
