Pep Guardiola has dropped a hint that Rodri could be making a comeback after the Spanish midfielder was seen back in training.
Having been out of action with a serious knee injury since a clash with Arsenal in September, Rodri’s expected absence for the rest of the season seemed set in stone, especially after Manchester City bolstered its midfield in January by signing Nico Gonzalez from Porto. Yet Rodri’s return to individual training sessions as he ramps up his recovery suggests he might be back in the game sooner than anticipated.
The City manager, speaking before his team’s FA Cup win over Plymouth, hinted at Rodri’s progress: “We can’t go three days, three days, three days, so many games. And of course we need fresh legs and players to come on the team. This is (the full squad) except Oscar Bobb and Rodri, that they are close both to come back and it is the first time we will have more or less the squad and I am pretty sure if the season had been more or less that way the circumstances would have been different.”
Despite Guardiola’s optimism, there seems to be caution about rushing Rodri’s return. In January, Guardiola called for patience to allow Rodri a full recovery. “He’s positive but I don’t know to be honest. An ACL is an ACL,” Guardiola said. “Always I believe in long injuries there’s a time you must respect because of the human body.
“The ACL is the ACL for every football player and every athlete so there is a time. The first month he was in Madrid all the time for the surgery there and then with the doctors and the physios. Now it’s lovely to have him here in the locker room. His voice and his presence of course it is important. When he wants to travel to special places, I said to all the injured players of course you can come and it’s nice to have him. Of course, it’s good
“[The] Most important [thing] for Rodri now is to recover well. You’re not a teenager anymore but still you have years to play. And it’s going to happen if you recover well. If you can back for one week, one month and [take a] step back for next season it’s not intelligent. Of course, he’d love to play tomorrow – I know that. But the body is the body, and recovery needs its own time. It’s going really well and he feels really good, but step by step we will see.”
