Manchester City were dumped out of the Club World Cup at the Round of 16 stage by Al-Hilal, and Pep Guardiola has been dealt another huge blow with a key man injured
John Cross Chief Football Writer and Vince Soodin Assistant Editor (Digital)
08:41, 01 Jul 2025Updated 09:00, 01 Jul 2025
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has been dealt a new blow after Manchester City's Club World Cup exit
Pep Guardiola has disclosed that Rodri has been hit with another injury, adding insult to injury following Manchester City's Club World Cup debacle. The City midfielder had the misfortune of being brought on as a substitute after 53 minutes, only to be replaced himself in extra time.
Guardiola explained that Rodri - who was sidelined for nearly all of last season due to a cruciate knee ligament injury - has suffered another injury setback.
While Guardiola didn't disclose the specifics or severity of the injury, it's yet another huge blow, especially as they've just lost their final chance at silverware to salvage something from this season.
They were defeated in extra time by Al-Hilal, marking the biggest upset in the competition and the most significant victory in Al-Hilal's history.
Rodri was forced off with an injury concern at the Club World Cup
Rodri gutted after being forced off
City manager Guardiola stated: "We have to see Rodri, he complained about his situation, but we need time to come back."
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Guardiola conceded that his team were slow to respond but maintained that they created and squandered enough opportunities to win the match. He added: "It was a difficult game. We allowed them to make transitions we created a lot. It is a pity, we have been on incredible journey together and so good place.
"We were so open. When the crosses arrived, in the first action, they had the ability to pass the ball and attack and they have quick players. We created a lot and had a lot of chances against a team that defend so deep. They punished us on the transitions."
Guardiola expressed that the training camp had been positive, despite the tournament's disappointing conclusion. He stated: "The vibe was really good, I cannot thank Manchester City enough and especially the players for training and how they have been playing. The margins are minimal, they ran into transitions a bit, but we created a lot, Bono made incredible saves.
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"We would have loved to have continued, only here once every four year, we had a feeling that the team is doing well but we go home and now it is time to rest and rest our minds for the new season.
"It is too early to say but so many good things I did not seen in the past. The relationship between the players, our captain helped a lot and the standards with staff. I felt we were happy here, the training sessions have been really good but the level of this competition is the World Cup and we regret a little bit that we allowed them to run a bit more."