"Rodri was recovering, but suffered a serious injury in our last match against Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16," Guardiola said on 8/8. "He's been training better over the past few days. Hopefully, after the September 2025 international break, he'll be fully fit."

Rodri limped off the field during Man City's loss to Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida, USA, on 30/6/2025. *Imago*

In the match against Al Hilal, Rodri came on as a substitute in the 53rd minute, replacing Ilkay Gundogan, right after Man City went down 2-1. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner played only 47 minutes before being substituted in extra time. Guardiola said he suffered a groin injury, and it was quite serious.

Man City regrouped last week, but Rodri could only train individually. He's joined the team for two sessions but was not included in the friendly against Palermo tonight, 9/8. The 29-year-old midfielder is also not ready for the Premier League opener against Wolverhampton. After that, Man City faces Tottenham and Brighton before a two-week break.

Guardiola still hopes Rodri can play a bit in the first three Premier League games of the 2025-2026 season. However, he doesn't think the midfielder will be at his best physically or in terms of form until the Manchester derby. Therefore, Man City will be cautious with Rodri, not letting him return to action too soon.

"The important thing is that Rodri doesn't feel any pain when playing," the 54-year-old manager added. "We don't want him to get injured again, we absolutely want to prevent that from happening."

Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d'Or but was injured for much of last season due to a torn knee ligament. Man City's form dipped significantly in his absence. Guardiola's squad regained their form towards the end of the season but couldn't challenge for the title. Despite this, they still finished third overall.

Hoang An (*MEN*)