Pep Guardiola confirmed Rodri’s immediate availability is doubtful after the star midfielder aggravated his knee injury.
Rodri endured a tough start to the 2025-26 season, but after three consecutive starts, there was optimism that his injury concerns were firmly in the past.
This is just over a year since he sustained the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that sidelined him for almost the entirety of the 2024-25 season, but he missed City’s weekend win against Burnley with discomfort in the same knee.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri || Image credit: Imago
Guardiola offers Rodri injury update
Guardiola detailed the severity of the setback, confirming the player’s pain level.
“Rodri was training and said, ‘I’m not able to play. I have a lot of pain in my knee. I cannot play, I cannot play.’ And I said, ‘if you cannot play, you cannot play’,” the manager stated.
The Spaniard’s absence is a serious concern for City, who have historically relied heavily on the midfielder.
Since joining in 2019, Rodri has missed 97 games across all competitions. City’s win percentage drops significantly without the 29-year-old patrolling their midfield (58.8% without him vs. 73% with him).
City return to Champions League action on Wednesday with a trip to Ligue 1 side Monaco, and Guardiola was non-committal on the player’s readiness:
“I don’t know yet, I don’t know [about Rodri’s fitness],” he added.
Nico Gonzalez could be used again in that role, alongside Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders.