Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that midfielder Rodri has returned to training for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury in September. Additionally, striker Erling Haaland is also back in training after recovering from an ankle injury.
Rodri’s return is a welcome boost for City, although his absence following surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament has been cited as a significant factor in the team’s Premier League title challenge. Guardiola indicated that Rodri’s return to play will be determined by the club’s medical staff.
“The moment the physio and doctor say that Rodri can start to play minutes, he will start to play minutes. But the doctors have to tell me,” Guardiola said on Thursday. “It was a difficult injury. It was seven months to eleven months, more or less, the doctors said. He feels really good, every day he’s making sessions and sessions, but we have to make the step to avoid making a step backwards and being injured again.”
Haaland, who has been out of action since injuring his ankle in the FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth on March 30th, is also back in training. However, Guardiola suggested that he is unlikely to feature in Friday’s home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“I’m not surprised (by Wolves’ form),” Guardiola said. “In the last few years, I think they have always had really good players, and now they’ve had an incredible run. It’s quite similar when Newcastle came a month ago and Aston Villa came. It’s another final for us. We have four finals, and now we go for the first one.”
Manchester City currently sit fourth in the Premier League with 61 points from 34 games, competing with several other clubs for Champions League qualification. They face a challenging test against a Wolves side that has won six consecutive matches.
