Man City get Rodri warning that will have been Pep Guardiola's worst nightmare

Manchester City are delighted to have Rodri back from injury this season as they look to bounce back from a miserable campaign, but they may have to wait to see the Spaniard at his best again

Manchester City's Rodri may not get back to his best for another year(Image: Getty)

Manchester City have been warned that Rodri will need another season to get anywhere close to his best again.

In September 2024, just off the back of a Ballon d'Or-winning season, the midfielder suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear and meniscus damage in his right knee during a league match against Arsenal.

Rodri, 29, underwent surgery and was out of action until matchweek 37, where he played seven minutes of football against Bournemouth. City, in his absence, looked a shadow of the side which had won four consecutive league titles, clearly missing both his defensive contributions and quality in possession.

That resulted in Pep Guardiola enduring the worst period of his managerial career and City finishing in third place - 13 points behind league champions Liverpool. Many fans at the Etihad would have hoped that their star player returning to the fold this season would result in better prospects.

But Arsenal legend and Sky Sports pundit Theo Walcott has sought to manage expectations by saying Rodri will not, at least for this season, be the same player they witnessed in 2023/24. Walcott, who tore his own ACL in January 2014, says it may realistically be another year before the Spain international rediscovers his form.

Walcott said on The Overlap US: “The problem with Rodri is as well, because I had my ACL [injury] too, the period of time you’re out for… it takes some time just to feel normal again. That’s the worry.

“This season’s a bit of a write-off. It’s just for him to enjoy his football again. He’s not going to be the same player, he just won’t be. It’s really sad for me to say. I wasn't the same player. There was an element of my game that I just lost.

“I think next year, it will be his new norm of how his knee feels, because even to this day I have issues with my knee. But I just think that’s the dynamic, they’re going to have to find someone to replace him in time because they can’t rely on him as much as they did anymore.

“There’s a reason why he’s on the bench or he’s not playing as much. Because they need to manage that knee. So that’s a worry for me personally.”

Rodri missed most of last season following his ACL injury against Arsenal(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Walcott’s assessment is certainly not what Guardiola will want to hear. His side have been disappointing this season, losing two games since their opening day mauling of Wolves.

Rodri, meanwhile, has been slowly bedded in, missing the Wolves game but playing 15 minutes against Tottenham and the full 90 against Brighton before the international break. He is expected to feature in some capacity in Sunday’s Manchester Derby.

Despite Walcott’s comments, progress in ACL surgery and rehabilitation in the past decade means young and healthy players now recover better post-surgery.

In recent years, Virgil van Dijk has managed to re-establish himself as one of the best defenders in the world despite an initial dip in form. Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber played almost the entirety of the following season after his ACL at an elite level last term. Guardiola’s other options in central midfield are Mateo Kovacic, new signing Tijjani Reijnders, Nico O’Reilly and Nico Gonzalez.