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Manchester City returned to training without Rodri on Thursday as the central midfielder continues to struggle for consistent fitness.
Rodri featured for only 22 minutes of City’s slender 1-0 victory at Brentford before the international break and has played just two full games all season.
The Spain international was forced off with a hamstring problem similar to the one sustained during the 2024 European Championship final.
Rodri sat out the international fixtures and claimed that the issue wasn’t major – but he hasn’t linked back up with Pep Guardiola’s side before they face Everton at the weekend.
City have attempted to ease the 29-year-old in to action following last season’s ACL injury, with Guardiola recently intimating that his metronome has been pushing for minutes beyond what his body may be capable of producing.
Guardiola has also stressed that the best version of Rodri will not return until the World Cup in North America or even next season as he battles back from the serious knee injury.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has not trained with Pep Guardiola's squad this week
The 29-year-old sustained a hamstring injury in the first half of their victory over Brentford
Rodri (right) sat out Spain's international fixtures and claimed that the issue wasn’t major
Both Omar Marmoush (right) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (left) are now in full training with the team
Nico Gonzalez has performed admirably in that position and should continue against Everton, while City were handed two boosts on the injury front before meeting the Toffees at the Etihad Stadium.
Both Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are in full training with the team. Marmoush hasn’t been available for over a month with a knee issue, while Ait-Nouri’s missed the last City games with an ankle injury.
Jeremy Doku and recent England call-up Nico O’Reilly have stepped up in their absences, with the pair facing a battle to regain a spot. Abdukodir Khusanov is not yet back in training.
