Guardiola Confirms Rodri and Haaland Return to Training

Rodri, the Manchester City midfielder, has resumed training for the first time since sustaining a significant knee injury in September, as confirmed by manager Pep Guardiola on Thursday.

The absence of the Spanish international, who underwent surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament, has been pinpointed as a crucial factor in City’s struggles for a fifth consecutive Premier League title.

Although the recovery of the 28-year-old Ballon d’Or winner may come too late to influence this season, his return to training is certainly encouraging news for City.

Guardiola also noted that striker Erling Haaland, from Norway, has returned to training after being sidelined since March 30 due to an ankle injury, although he is not expected to participate in Friday’s home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Rodri will require assessment from the club’s medical team before a definitive return date can be established, Guardiola added.

“Once the physio and doctors confirm that Rodri is ready to start playing again, he’ll get those minutes,” Guardiola stated on Thursday.

“It was a challenging injury; the prognosis suggested a recovery time of seven to eleven months.”

“He’s feeling great and has been training consistently, but we need to take precautions to ensure we don’t push too hard too soon and risk another setback.”

Haaland, 24, suffered his ankle injury during a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Bournemouth in March and has missed five league matches and the FA Cup semi-final win against Nottingham Forest.

Currently, City is positioned fourth in the Premier League with 61 points from 34 matches, vying with six other clubs for Champions League qualification, as the top five are guaranteed entry.

In contrast, Wolves are enjoying a remarkable run, arriving at The Etihad Stadium on Friday with six consecutive victories under their belt.

“I’m not taken aback by Wolves’ performance,” Guardiola remarked. “Over the past few years, they’ve consistently had exceptional players, and now they’re in incredible form.”

“It’s reminiscent of when Newcastle visited a month ago and Aston Villa previously. We’re treating this as another final. We have four finals ahead, and it starts with this one.”