Pep Guardiola says Manchester City star Rodri may return from injury this season - 'Fans are not the only ones excited'
Updated 03/03/2025 at 15:16 GMT
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that midfielder Rodri may well manage to play again this season, despite suffering a serious knee injury last September that was expected to sideline him for much longer. His ACL injury initially looked to have ruled the Spaniard out for the rest of the season, but now there seems a genuine chance he could play again this term.
'He feels confident' - Guardiola says Rodri could return from ACL injury before end of season
Video credit: SNTV
Rodri’s return from injury looks to be progressing faster than predicted, with the Manchester City star not necessarily stuck on the sidelines for the rest of this campaign.
Manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that Rodri could be back in action this season, with the last Premier League matches set to be played on May 25.
Then Manchester City are due to take part in the FIFA World Club Cup, giving Rodri even more opportunity to lace his boots up for some competitive action this season.
The Spaniard suffered the injury against Arsenal in September, which was later confirmed to be an ACL rupture that required surgery - with the recovery time such that Guardiola immediately said "this season is over," for the star.
But now, the manager sounds much more optimistic, just a few days after Rodri returned to individual training.
"The fans must know they are not the only ones who are excited. But one step at a time, we don’t have to make stupid decisions to come back weeks earlier and [suffer] steps back," Guardiola said, as reported by The Guardian.
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"It’s good but still he’s not close to coming back, I would say," Guardiola continued.
"But he’s touching the ball and he was in the locker room making touches with the players. He feels confident, he feels more happy.
"I could not expect before [him to return] but maybe before the end of the season in the Premier League, maybe, it’s going to happen."
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The Ballon d’Or winner will not be the first top footballer to make a return from what can be a career-ending injury, and he can take plenty of inspiration from a host of greats who have come back from ACL injuries including Ruud van Nistelrooy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Xavi.
Xavi’s recovery was particularly swift for Barcelona, at just five months.
Manchester City have been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League while Rodri was on the sidelines, but they still have a busy schedule to come as they chase a top-four finish in the league, and FA Cup glory.
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