Midfielder has struggled with fitness setbacks since he returned from his eight-month absence due to an ACL injury
Manchester City midfielder Rodri will miss this week’s fixtures against Villarreal and Aston Villa as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
The Spain international was forced off midway through the first half of City’s 1-0 win at Brentford earlier this month and subsequently withdrew from the Spain squad during the international window.
He also sat out Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Everton at the Etihad.
City’s boss Pep Guardiola said there was no serious setback but that they needed to avoid rushing the midfielder back.
“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 to not take a risk, but we have not been able to [manage] that. So we will see.”
Rodri has struggled with fitness setbacks since he returned from his eight-month absence due to an ACL injury he sustained last year. He first experienced once during the Club World Cup in the summer, before missing his side’s first Premier League game against Wolves.
He has since been in and out of the squad. Against Brentford City welcomed back Mateo Kovacic, who might be a more trusted option for Guardiola in the middle of the park than Nico Gonzalez, who has mostly filled in for Rodri so far.
