Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has warned that Rodri will likely not get back to his best until next summer’s World Cup.
The Spaniard is still easing himself back into regular top-flight football after missing the majority of the 2024–25 season because of a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
Rodri’s absence was felt as City failed to defend their Premier League crown—the eight-time winners actually failed to win any silverware for the first time since Guardiola’s first year in charge (2016–17)—and they have shown fragility in the early stages of this season.
City dropped points from a winning position against Monaco in midweek, and two defeats from their opening six Premier League games means they are arleady five points behind early pacesetters Liverpool.
Much had been expected of Rodri following his Ballon d’Or win in 2024, but Guardiola was keen to stress in his latest news conference that expectations of the 29-year-old must be lowered—at least for the interim.
Guardiola: Rodri Needs Time to Find Top Level
“Rodri has been and is an outstanding player,” Guardiola said. “Everybody knows it. But I said to Rodri, and maybe he struggled to understand: it’s not about six months or seven months (after the injury). ‘Ah, (after) eight months I’ll play and be the Rodri of before’. No.
“Rodri will be good at the World Cup with Spain. In the World Cup it will be the best Rodri and next season will be the best Rodri. This season will be how we handle it, step by step.
“It’s normal, it was one year on the massage table. The body changes, the rhythm changes. It’s a question of time. If he’s healthy and works with what he has to do, he will be back.”
City reacted to Rodri’s ongoing absence in January, signing former Barcelona academy graduate Nico González from FC Porto in a deal worth a reported £50 million ($61.9 million), and the Spaniard has been steady yet unspectacular so far.
Guardiola: Nico González Has the Talent to Succeed
Guardiola is clearly a big believer in Nico’s ability, though, and he pointed to Rodri’s early struggles in England when looking to defend the 23-year-old from any criticism.
“He is so young,” Guardiola said. “Rodri has been with us seven years. He is not (here) even one year and in a tough period. There are many things that step by step he is going to take, because he is open-minded and incredibly coachable.
“Not all the players are. He is and he will get it...Even Rodri—the first season—struggled. It’s normal. New environments and you need a process to understand it. Nico is Nico. He has to use his talent as Nico. He can improve a lot.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Everybody Knows it’—Pep Guardiola Sends Strong Rodri Warning.
