Rodri dealt another injury blow: Man City midfielder subbed after 20 minutes as Spain international continues to battle recurring knee problem

Rodri suffered knee ligament damage back in September 2024. He missed all but seven minutes of that campaign after being forced to take a long road to recovery. The 29-year-old returned to action in May 2025 before featuring for City at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The hope was that he was over any fitness issues, but that is clearly not the case.

There were less than 20 minutes on the clock at the Gtech Community Stadium when Rodri was forced to bring his latest appearance to a close. City put the ball out of play, allowing the Spaniard to take a seat on the turf. He appeared to be close to tears as the realisation that another setback has been endured set in.

Rodri sat shaking his head while waiting for City’s medical team to come to his aid. It was quickly determined that nothing could be done for him on the field. With that in mind, he was escorted towards the touchline. There was no need for a stretcher, as Nico Gonzalez took his place, but Rodri was limping and headed straight down the tunnel.

Rodri has figured in five Premier League fixtures for City this season, while also gracing a couple of Champions League matches and two international dates with Spain. He has completed the full 90 minutes just twice, with his game time still being carefully managed.

His involvement at Brentford was not considered to be a risk, but Rodri’s body has broken down on him again. He missed 53 games for City across 236 days after damaging knee ligaments. A further setback in early August kept him out of two matches. An unfortunate theme looks to have continued, with Rodri holding his leg after being forced off against Brentford.

Rodri said after making his long-awaited return to action after ACL trouble: “The reception from the fans that night, for me, was incredible. They were desperate for me to come back in the same way I was desperate to come back, and this love they showed me – and not just for me, for my girlfriend and for my family – for all of us – makes me so proud.

“They could easily have not done that because the season was going wrong, but they were just happy for me to come back as an individual to come back and try to help the team. Everyone plays a part in being a successful club – the fans, us, all the players – and they know they have to be there in the bad moments and for me there has been no exceptions to this, because they’ve always been there and that for me means an awful lot to me.”

Prior to being laid low, Rodri had done enough across his outings for City and Spain to land the prestigious Ballon d’Or award in 2024. He was recognised as the best player on the planet after winning another Premier League title and a European Championship crown.

City’s struggles for consistency during the 2024-25 campaign were put down to Rodri’s enforced absence. Guardiola has plenty of alternative options at his disposal and may have to use them on a more regular basis heading forward as selection calls that he would prefer to avoid are forced upon him.