Rodri provides significant update on injury concern sustained during Brentford win | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has provided a significant update on the injury concern sustained during Sunday afternoon’s 0-1 win over Brentford.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner sparked concern midway through the first half when he appeared to pull up holding his hamstring, forcing Pep Guardiola into an early substitution with Nico coming on in his place.

The Spaniard’s importance to Manchester City cannot be overstated, having missed large portions of the previous campaign through injury, and his presence has been central to the club’s recovery in form this season.

Sunday’s victory over Brentford also marked Pep Guardiola’s 250th Premier League win, achieved faster than any other manager in the competition’s history, surpassing both Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

However, that milestone moment was tempered by worries over Rodri’s fitness, particularly given his previous hamstring concerns and worries that he may not have totally recovered from last season’s serious ACL injury.

And while the midfielder’s early withdrawal threatened to dampen the mood after Erling Haaland’s decisive strike earned Manchester City all three points, the star man in the centre of the park has since offered further explanation around the problem after the game.

Speaking with the Manchester Evening News’ Simon Bajkowski after City’s 0-1 win over Brentford, Rodri revealed that he is feeling ‘good’ amid concern over a potentially serious hamstring injury.

“I’m good. I felt a little bit in the hamstring but it seems like it’s not that much. The important thing was the victory. I stretched the leg a little, a bit like in the Euros final. I stretched a little but it’s part of the process,” Rodri explained.

The Spanish midfielder continued, “I don’t feel I feel tired muscle wise, I feel fresh but the most important is it’s not that big. It’s part of the process. The good thing about this is you get out, you don’t let the muscle stretch now.

“The good thing is the break so it will be even better in this sense to recover these days and hopefully I can be in the next game.”

Rodri’s comments will come as a huge relief to Manchester City fans, particularly with fixtures against Aston Villa and Everton in the Premier League to follow after the international break, and European clashes against Villarreal and Borussia Dortmund.

Pep Guardiola has already rotated heavily in midfield in recent weeks – notably giving opportunities to Nico González, who was publicly backed by his manager after a difficult display against AS Monaco – and the prospect of losing Rodri again would have caused significant tactical disruption.

With the two-week international break now arriving at an ideal time, Manchester City’s medical staff will monitor the Spaniard’s condition closely. Should his recovery progress as expected, Rodri is anticipated to return to full training before the squad reconvenes.

Pep Guardiola will be desperate to have his midfield lynchpin available as Manchester City continue their push to climb back into the Premier League’s early leading back, following an somewhat uneven start to the season but an ongoing seven-game unbeaten streak.