Manchester City will be without their key midfielder Rodri for the start of their Premier League title defence, as manager Pep Guardiola confirmed on Friday that the Spain international has been ruled out of Sunday’s opener against Chelsea.
Rodri, 28, only recently returned to training after being forced off at half-time during Spain’s 2-1 victory over England in the Euro 2024 final last month. Despite his return to training, he has not been cleared to play.
When asked if Rodri could be involved in the match at Stamford Bridge, Guardiola responded, “No chance. He is in training, but I don’t know, I haven’t seen him yet. He feels good, but we’ll have to see how he feels after training.”
Rodri’s absence is a significant early setback for City as they aim to secure their fifth successive Premier League title. Guardiola also hinted at further fitness concerns, with England trio Phil Foden, John Stones, and Kyle Walker only just returning to training this week after their post-Euros break.
“I’m pretty sure they won’t be ready for 90 minutes, maybe yes, maybe 15 minutes,” Guardiola remarked. “The important thing is everybody is back and except for Oscar [Bobb], the rest are OK.”
Oscar Bobb, the young Norwegian winger, is set to undergo surgery on Friday to repair a fractured bone in his leg following a non-contact training incident on Wednesday. Guardiola revealed that Bobb could be sidelined for up to four months. “Unfortunately, he had a big impact and got injured,” Guardiola said. “He is having surgery this afternoon. Hopefully, it will go well, and he will be back in three or four months. We are so sad for him.”
Bobb’s injury comes on the heels of the recent departure of Argentina forward Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid. Guardiola hinted that City might need to dip into the transfer market to find replacements, though he remains content with his current squad. “Maybe or maybe not, we will see,” Guardiola stated. “I’m really pleased with the squad I have, but we will see what happens in the market. We can continue to January in that way, or maybe we will add some players.”
