Rodri missed Manchester City’s 2-nil win over Everton on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium due to injury. The Spanish international was injured in the early stages of Manchester City’s 1-nil win over Brentford at the GTech Community Stadium before the international break. A definitive timeline on how long Manchester City would be without their midfield general was yet to emerge. Speaking after his team’s win over Everton, Pep Guardiola has revealed that Rodri will miss City’s upcoming matches against Villarreal and Aston Villa.
Manchester City will be without Rodri for their next two matches.
Up next for Pep Guardiola’s side is a UEFA Champions League league phase fixture against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceràmica on Tuesday night. Following that match, they’ll take on Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday in Premier League action. Pep Guardiola has revealed that Rodri will be unavailable for those two matches. The Manchester City manager was asked about Rodri’s availability for City’s upcoming matches after his team’s win over Everton. When asked about Rodri’s availability for City’s upcoming match against Villarreal, Pep Guardiola said: “*I don’t think so. Aston Villa, I don’t think so either. It’s not long, but it’s muscular.*”
“*We have to be careful. We tried many times to prevent another injury, but we have not been able to do that, so we will see.*“
Manchester City will be without Rodri for this week's matches
Rodri’s unavailability due to injury should see Nico continue in midfield.
It is a blow for Manchester City to be without Rodri for two testing away fixtures. But it is better for City to take a cautious approach with Rodri’s fitness rather than rushing him back before he is ready. Rodri may not be back to his best and fully fit until the latter stages of this season. He is returning from a significant injury, and his bid to return to full fitness will take time.
But there is a silver lining for Pep Guardiola’s side. Nico has stepped into Rodri’s role in midfield in Manchester City’s recent matches. The Spanish midfielder has put in several impressive displays of late and is growing as a City player. With Nico playing well, Pep Guardiola’s side does have cover for Rodri, and the more games that Nico can play, the better it is for his development and growth as a City midfielder.
Manchester City will be without Rodri for this week’s matches against Villarreal and Aston Villa. It is a blow for Pep Guardiola’s side but in Nico, they have cover, and perhaps a period of rest will do Rodri the world of good.