MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Manchester City midfielder Rodri will undergo back surgery next week, his manager has revealed. Enzo Maresca It was confirmed on Friday.
Rodri, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2024, endured an injury-interrupted season last season, but since Winning the World Cup with Spain.
Maresca did not say how long it would take him to recover from his latest setback, but admitted the former Ballon d’Or winner wants to remain at the club amid speculation about his future.
“I’m not worried about that because there’s always speculation around big players,” Maresca said. “I think it’s normal because they won the World Cup. He was one of the best players and I think every manager would want to have Rodri because he’s a top player.” “But right now (he) has surgery, I think probably Monday, and he needs time off. He needs to rest, he needs to recover, and then he’ll be back here with us.”
Maresca succeeded his iconic former manager as City manager and spoke at his induction ceremony Pep Guardiola resigns At the end of last season.
The Italian, who was previously part of Guardiola’s coaching staff, said it felt like coming home after spells at Leicester and Chelsea and accepted the challenge of following in the footsteps of one of the greatest managers of all time.
During a period of unprecedented success, Guardiola won 17 major trophies with City, including six Premier League titles and his first Champions League in 2023.
He won 35 major titles during his coaching career, including with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“The first thing I want to say is it’s a privilege, because the reason the club decided to go for me means it’s a privilege for me,” he said. “I’ve said many times that I think Pep is probably the best manager in the world for the last 20 to 25 years, but again, this is a challenge. It’s great. It’s an honour.”
Maresca, 46, is in his third spell at City, having served as academy coach in 2020/21 and then as Guardiola’s assistant in 2022/23, when the team won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble.
“Probably the reason why the club chose me is because they see a similar concept to the previous manager, and we always try to be aggressive on the ball, control the game and impose our ideas,” he said. “And the most important thing in football is winning the game at the end.”
___
James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
