Rodri to be rested against Real Madrid?! Pep Guardiola jokes about exhausted Man City midfielder after leaving him out against Luton

After Manchester City's 3-3 draw against Madrid during in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Santiago Bernabeu, ace midfielder Rodri had urged Guardiola to give him some rest as he felt exhausted. Accordingly, the City boss did not include the Spaniard in his starting lineup in the 5-1 win against Luton Town in the Premier League on Saturday.

Dutch defender Nathan Ake and England international Kyle Walker returned to the matchday squad after being left out of the Champions League clash due to injury. John Stones too was rested for the clash against Hatters as the manager confirmed that the English centre-back had a niggle.

When asked about the injury status of his players, the Catalan coach told reporters: "John has some problems, some niggles. He’s fine. He’s not injured but doesn’t feel comfortable, so we didn’t take a risk. Nathan and Kyle wanted to be on the bench, so I said, ‘okay, go on the bench."

When asked if Rodri benefited after getting a much-needed rest, Guardiola added, "Absolutely. He is going to rest on Wednesday as well. You believe me?"

The reigning English champions will next face Los Blancos in the second leg at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday before meeting Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on April 20.