Manchester City will be without Rodri for the start of their Premier League title defence after Pep Guardiola revealed the Spain midfielder has been ruled out of Sunday’s opener against Chelsea.
The influential 28-year-old has only just returned to training after being forced off at half-time during Spain’s 2-1 win against England in last month’s Euro 2024 final.
While England trio Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker hope to feature at Stamford Bridge after their post-Euros break, Rodri has not been cleared to return to action.
Asked ahead of the match if Rodri could be involved against Chelsea, Guardiola told reporters: “No chance.
“He is in training. I don’t know, I haven’t seen him yet. He feels good. We’ll have to see how he feels after training.”
Rodri’s absence is an early blow to City’s bid to win a fifth successive Premier League title.
City would love to make a strong start to their title defence in west London, but Guardiola admitted fitness issues could hamper them on the opening weekend.
Foden, Stones and Walker are not fully fit after only returning to training in midweek following their holidays.
“I’m pretty sure they won’t be ready for 90 minutes, maybe yes, maybe 15 minutes,” Guardiola said.
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