Pep Guardiola addressed the Manchester City injury news ahead of the Premier League game with Brentford as Rodri continues to struggle
Rodri receives treatment for a previous injury picked up in the victory over Brentford
Rodri receives treatment for a previous injury picked up in the victory over Brentford(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
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Manchester City have welcomed Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias back into training but could be without Rodri for another crucial Premier League match. The Spaniard has not played since the Arsenal game in April and is uncertain to be fit in time for Brentford.
Gvardiol has been injured since the Chelsea match in early January, while Dias picked up a problem in the week of the Carabao Cup final in March. City will be more concerned about Rodri though as they look to welcome their Ballon d'Or winner back into the team.
He was not present at the start of Thursday's training session and will be assessed on Friday afternoon to see whether he can play any part.
"He made a little problem and still he doesn't feel completely comfortable," said Guardiola. "When he will be ready and fit and come back, - this afternoon, hopefully - he will come back. We will see this afternoon."
It was after the reverse fixture against Brentford that Rodri was forced to take a longer break. The midfielder pulled up after just 20 minutes in West London and played just three minutes over the next two months as he took more time out to avoid further setbacks.
That decision enabled him to start 11 Premier League games in a row in 2026 as his partnership with Bernardo Silva helped City propel themselves into title contention. However, the Blues have struggled without Rodri since he picked up an injury towards the end of the 2-1 win over Arsenal last month.
There was better news on Gvardiol given the amount of time he has been out for. Guardiola is hoping that the defender can feature before the end of the season as he looks to get back to his best.
"He's good, he's training, he feels good - it's been many months [out]," he said. "Last season he was one of the important players for us with many injuries, he played all the games. And at the end the body says in one moment, 'enough is enough'.
"But I'm happy he's back, hopefully he can help us in the last part of the season and make a good World Cup with Croatia and next season, we can have him again at his best.
"He's an important player; central defender, full-back, can play different roles, so fast, so quick - really good to have him back, like Ruben as well."