Fresh Concern for Guardiola and Man City as Rodri Suffers Another Knee Setback

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has suffered a setback, reporting fresh pain in the knee that troubled him last season. 

Manchester City have been left concerned after Rodri reported fresh pain in the knee that troubled him for much of last season.

The reigning Ballon d’Or winner sat out Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Burnley and is now considered doubtful for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Monaco. Pep Guardiola made it clear that he will not risk the midfielder’s fitness, given the nature of his previous injury. Rodri missed eight months of action following a cruciate ligament tear sustained against Arsenal last September.

Recent Return and Setback

The Spaniard has only recently returned to consistent action, featuring in consecutive matches against Manchester United, Napoli, and Arsenal. It marked his first run of starts in nearly a year, but after being rested for the midweek Carabao Cup tie against Huddersfield, he notified the medical staff on Friday that his knee was troubling him again.

Guardiola explained: “Rodri was training and told me, ‘I’m not able to play. There’s too much pain in my knee.’ So we had to make the decision. If he says he can’t play, then he can’t.”

City’s Squad Situation Ahead of Monaco

In his absence, summer signing Nico Gonzalez stepped into midfield against Burnley. City already have several other absentees, with Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush, and Abdukodir Khusanov all sidelined ahead of the Monaco fixture.