9 hours ago
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about Rodri's withdrawal at Monaco after Nico Gonzalez came on and conceded a penalty
Pep Guardiola confirmed that Rodri was taken off for tactical reasons against Monaco with no concerns over his fitness amid general caution over the after-effects of the injury that sidelined him for most of last season.
Rodri has worked hard to recover from a serious knee problem but has still struggled to completely overcome it. He was left out of the Premier League win over Burnley at the weekend after feeling pain in the knee on Friday, and Guardiola said on Tuesday that he was not sure the midfielder can play three games in a week again any time soon as he did last month against United, Napoli and Arsenal.
Guardiola started his Ballon d'Or winner against Monaco in the Champions League but took him off on the hour-mark, with Nico Gonzalez coming on to replace him. Gonzalez's night was ruined when a controversial late penalty was given against him for a high boot in the box as he tried to defend a set-piece.
Rodri should be available for selection for Sunday's game against Brentford though after Guardiola revealed that he was 'perfect' and that there were no worries about another injury. Whether he will start is another matter though given what the manager said on the eve of the game.
"Now he is not injured but the week before was so demanding with United, Napoli and especially Arsenal and right now he's not able to play three games in a week at a top level - top intensity, demanding opponents," Guardiola said. "My feeling right now is he is not ready because he needs time.
"This type of injury, it is minimum one year and after that you must be patient.. Nico [Gonzalez] made an incredible game last game and is improving day by day and [Mateo] Kova[cic] will be quite similar. Tijjani [Reijnders] can play there, and see what happens."
Kovacic was on the bench for the second game in a row after recovering from Achilles surgery and could get his first minutes of the season at Brentford, although it would be a surprise for him to start ahead of Rodri or Gonzalez given he has not played since last season.
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