Tijjani Reijnders and Bernardo Silva glow over Rodri return to Manchester City action | OneFootball

Rodri’s return to action for Manchester City over the course of the last week has been warmly welcomed by his teammates in recent media activity.

City’s title chances were dealt another blow this weekend as Enzo Fernandez salvaged a vital point for Chelsea with a 94th minute equaliser to hold Pep Guardiola and co to a second draw in four days to start 2026.

The Blues are vying for a fifth Premier League title in six seasons and saw their deficit to league leaders Arsenal extend to six points on Sunday, with Arsenal leaving the south coast with all three points after a slim win over Bournemouth.

However, there was a major silver lining for City at the weekend as Nico Gonzalez’s absence through injury meant Ballon d’Or winner Rodri made his first start for the Blues in three months, having recovered from a hamstring injury sustained against Brentford in October 2025.

Rodri will understandably take some time to return to his best but the 29-year-old was vital in midfield for the hosts on Sunday, playing a string of line-breaking passes and making crucial interceptions to thwart the visitors from west London.

City will be disappointed with more dropped points but the Blues can return to winning ways against Brighton on Wednesday evening, with Rodri’s presence in midfield all the more important after Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol went off with injuries at the weekend.

In conversation with the club’s official channels after the 1-1 draw, Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva led the praise for City’s defensive midfield metronome, insisting that Rodri makes the entire team better.

“The team with Rodri is always a better team,” the Portuguese international said. “Today (against Chelsea), I thought he was brilliant again.”

Jeremy Doku also made his return to the pitch against Sunderland last week and was called upon in the second-half against Chelsea as Manchester City looked to add a second after Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring in the 42nd minute.

Silva added: “With Rodri back and having Jeremy (Doku) as well, we’re trying to get him back to his best, it’s always good news.”

Guardiola will be looking forward to partnering Rodri with Silva and Reijnders in midfield in the coming weeks, with Manchester City facing a series of tricky fixtures in the opening month of 2026. “With Rodri in the team, he brings a lot of calmness and it’s a great day to play with him. He plays the game very quick and he’s a top player,” Reijnders added.

With Gonzalez expected to remain unavailable, Rodri is likely to maintain his starting place in a must-win game against Brighton on Wednesday, which could also see Max Alleyne feature after the City academy graduate was recalled from loan at Watford in the wake of injuries to Dias and Gvardiol over the weekend.