Man City boss Guardiola snaps: No!! This is what I've told Rodri about this season

Man City boss Guardiola snaps: No!! This is what I've told Rodri about this season

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has laid out his plans for Rodri's long-term return.

The midfielder has suffered a setback in his return from a long-term ACL injury.

Guardiola snapped back at one journalist on Friday asking if Rodri can ever be replaced properly at City.

"You say they (Monaco) scored against us because it was (Nico) Gonz1lez who played and not Rodri? How do you know that? How can you prove it?" Guardiola said angrily, before saying more on the subject.

"Me neither (he can't prove it), let's change the subject. I know Rodri is irreplaceable in many ways. He couldn't play three days ago because of his knee, but in the half hour he played, Gonz1lez was the player who won back the most balls in transition. With Rodri, we conceded more transitions. We didn't concede a goal because Rodri wasn't on the pitch; if that were the case, I wouldn't have taken him off.

"But Rodri can't play 90 minutes in many games, and Gonz1lez was very, very good against Burnley and he's improving. (Mateo) Kovacic isn't ready, and Rodri can't play much. He made a huge effort the week we played United, Napoli and Arsenal, but I have to protect my players. Look at what happened to (Dani) Carvajal at Real Madrid and other players who keep relapsing."0

Finally, he concluded: "I told Rodri that it's not a six- or seven-month story. It's not: 'I come back, I play and I become the Rodri of before.' No! The real Rodri, we'll see him at the 2026 World Cup with Spain, and from next season, he'll be at his best. This season, the challenge is to manage things step by step. It's normal. For a year, he lived on the treatment table. The body changes, the rhythm changes, everything changes. He just needs time. And he'll come back."0