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Manchester City plan to make a late call on Rodri ahead of the Premier League trip to Arsenal with player and club wary of the workload of three games in a week.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri admits he must let his head rule his heart when it comes to match minutes.
The Blues talisman is feeling his way back to full form after a serious knee injury sustained against Arsenal last September. Almost a year on the same opposition await this weekend but City will make a late call on the fitness of the Spaniard given the workload involved in a three-game week.
The 29-year-old started the wins over Manchester United and Napoli but asked to come off in the latter and felt discomfort in training in the build-up to the Champions League opener. That will have a bearing on whether he starts at the Emirates, and the player himself knows he must be logical when it comes to managing his body.
"Individually, I feel good. It's a process, I'm taking it step-by-step," Rodri said following the win over Napoli on Thursday night.
"The positive thing is that I feel better every day, much better today than in the first few games, so I'm happy because, apart from that, the team is starting to look different. We're building a new team, becoming a team again, and today was an important victory."
Asked about whether there was a plan between player, manager and club over his minutes, the midfielder added: "More than a plan, it's just a logical thing. About using the head, gradually, that is progressive.
"Now come three games in a week. It’s very demanding, and well, calculate, right? In the end, if you’re going to have three games, then timing is important. But, well, it's more of a conversation than a plan."
He added: "I'm not worried and I've never been concerned [about getting injured]… it’s a thing of planning. Right now the schedule is very demanding, with three games a week, so you try to be smart and not try to play every game.
Rodri missed much of last season and while he featured in the Club World Cup, he suffered a setback in America that prevented him starting in the opening two matches of this season.
He admits the lengthy absence was a difficult period but is determined to put that behind him and also help City banish memories of a disappointing 2024-25 season, which ended without a trophy.
"It was a tough time but always in tough times you learn about things," he said. "I always try to take the positive things about life and yeah, we all grow as a team but we live in the past and we don’t want to live this again. We try to grow and the process is there."
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