Rodri's Injury Nightmare Strikes Man City Despite Pep Guardiola's Ominous Warning
Rodri managed just over 20 minutes during Manchester City's away fixture at Brentford before succumbing to yet another fitness setback.
The previously indispensable midfielder has witnessed his aura of durability completely shattered following last campaign's ACL rupture. Since returning from an eight-month rehabilitation period, Rodri has been compelled to navigate through several persistent minor injuries.
Issues with his troublesome knee during the Club World Cup left Pep Guardiola anticipating the worst throughout the summer, though the manager's field general ultimately only sat out the opening Premier League fixture of the campaign. Rodri was subsequently considered ready to feature in three contests within a seven-day span. A questionable choice that seems to have proven counterproductive.
The 29-year-old stated he was unable to participate against Burnley the previous weekend due to excessive discomfort in his knee. Rodri was included in the starting lineup for Sunday's journey to Brentford only to collapse on the ground grasping his hamstring after 20 minutes.
Guardiola had cautioned before the fixture that Rodri wouldn't return to peak form until next summer's 2026 World Cup. "This campaign will be about managing it gradually, one step at a time," City's boss reflected.
"It's expected, he spent one year on the treatment table. The physique adapts, the tempo shifts. It's simply a matter of patience."
It requires nearly a full year for a player to merely restore knee strength and recover some degree of competitive fitness following an ACL tear. The following 12 months are typically riddled with muscle complications caused by the adjustment of returning to the intensity and physicality of regular top-level competition.
Rodri seemed to be favoring his right hamstring as he departed the field against Brentford, but the primary worry moving forward remains another severe knee complication. Research indicates that athletes who have previously experienced an ACL injury face a "significantly elevated risk" of suffering a second incident of that same catastrophic nature.