Pep Guardiola has provided the latest update on the fitness of his squad ahead of Manchester City’s opening Premier League fixture of the 2025-26 season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Man City travel to Molineux on the back of beating sister club Palermo 3-0 in Sicily last weekend in their second and final pre-season friendly of the summer.
Guardiola selected a 22-man squad for the trip to Italy that did not include Rodri, Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol or Claudio Echeverri due to fitness concerns.
After missing the majority of last season with an ACL injury, Rodri featured four times at the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer, but he picked up a “big injury” at the tournament in the United States, according to Guardiola.
The Catalan coach admitted last week that Rodri may not return to his very best until after the international break in September, but the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is available to travel with the Man City squad for Saturday’s clash with Wolves.
Manchester City's Rodri on June 18, 2025
Foden, Rodri available, but four Man City players ruled out of Wolves trip
“Rodri is so soon to come back but it is important his knee is perfect,” Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday. “He played [against] Juventus after six weeks in his leg and we try to avoid that. Now he needs to play minutes in training sessions.
“What we want for him is to come back and to take a step back that would not be good. In this dynamic you can’t get rhythm, it is so demanding. He’s made good training sessions and tomorrow he’s travelling. We will decide how many minutes.
“Hopefully he can play minutes in next games then after the international break every three days he can help us.”
Foden will also be named in the matchday squad after missing the trip to Palermo with a knock to his ankle, but Gvardiol and Kovacic will not be fit to return this weekend, the latter of whom is still recovering from Achilles surgery that took place earlier this summer.
Meanwhile, Savinho and Ederson - who have been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Galatasaray respectively - will also miss the clash against Wolves, with the former set to remain sidelined for “a few weeks” after picking up an unspecified injury against Palermo.
Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol and Savinho look dejected on December 11, 2024
Kovacic, Gvardiol, Savinho, Ederson all injured
“Kovacic is not ready, Josko is not ready, the others [including Foden and Rodri] are,” said Guardiola. “They will travel tomorrow and selection we will see. Tomorrow we decide.
Guardiola added: "Savinho is injured, sorry. I didn't remember. He's injured from Palermo. A few weeks he will be out... (And Ederson?) Apparently, yeah."
There was no update from Guardiola on Echeverri, but the teenage attacker is not expected to be involved on Saturday, and the same can be said for fellow youngster Sverre Nypan - a summer signing from Rosenborg - who is allegedly close to joining Middlesbrough on loan.
The absence of goalkeeper Ederson is set to see summer signing James Trafford handed his Man City debut between the sticks, while fellow new recruits Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and former Wolves man Rayan Ait-Nouri are also in contention to play this weekend.
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