In a significant development for Manchester City, influential midfielder Rodri has been spotted back on the training pitch, taking his first steps toward recovery from a devastating anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The club released footage on February 28, 2025, showing the Ballon d’Or winner engaged in individual training drills, offering a glimmer of hope to fans who have witnessed their team struggle in his absence.
The football world was shocked when Rodri collapsed in pain during Manchester City’s high-profile 2-2 draw against Arsenal in September. The Spanish international, who had become the cornerstone of Pep Guardiola’s midfield machine, immediately signaled to the bench that something serious had occurred. Medical examinations confirmed the worst fears: a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that typically requires between nine to twelve months of rehabilitation.
Within days, Rodri underwent surgery to repair the damaged knee ligament, beginning what would be a long and arduous journey back to competitive football. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Manchester City, who had relied heavily on Rodri’s exceptional ability to dictate play from deep positions, break up opposition attacks, and provide crucial tactical intelligence to Guardiola’s system.
“When we lost Rodri, we lost more than just a midfielder,” explained football analyst and former City player Richard Dunne in October. “He’s been the tactical brain of this team, the player who makes Guardiola’s complex system function smoothly. His reading of the game and positional awareness are almost impossible to replace with a single player.”
The correlation between Rodri’s absence and City’s relative decline in form has been stark and undeniable. Prior to his injury, Manchester City had maintained their characteristic dominance in the Premier League, continuing the form that had delivered them multiple consecutive league titles. However, without their midfield anchor, cracks began to appear in what had previously been an impenetrable fortress.
As of late February 2025, City find themselves in an unusual position—fourth in the Premier League table, behind Liverpool, Arsenal, and surprisingly, Aston Villa, who have maintained exceptional form throughout the season. This represents City’s lowest league position at this stage of a season since Guardiola’s first year in charge.
The statistical evidence of Rodri’s importance is compelling. With him in the team during the early part of the season, City had a win percentage of 85% across all competitions. Following his injury, that figure plummeted to just under 60%, with particularly concerning performances in key matches against title rivals.
Former Manchester United defender and pundit Gary Neville observed in January: “What we’re seeing is the true value of Rodri to this City team. He’s the player who allows everyone else to express themselves, who covers the spaces, who knows exactly when to slow the game down and when to increase the tempo. Without him, City look vulnerable in transition in a way we haven’t seen for years.”
Pep Guardiola, renowned for his tactical flexibility, has attempted various solutions to address Rodri’s absence. Initially, the Catalan manager turned to Mateo Kovačić, asking the Croatian to take on more defensive responsibilities. When this proved only partially successful, Guardiola experimented with deploying John Stones in a hybrid defender-midfielder role, similar to the position he occasionally occupied during the previous season.
By December, City had brought Ilkay Gündogan back from Barcelona in a surprise January transfer, hoping the former club captain could provide some of the stability and tactical intelligence they had been missing. While Gündogan’s return added experience and game intelligence, the now 34-year-old midfielder lacks the physical presence and defensive acumen that makes Rodri so special.
“It’s not just about finding someone who can pass like Rodri or read the game like him,” explained tactical analyst Michael Cox. “It’s about finding someone who can do all of that while also having the physical capacity to cover ground, win duels, and maintain intensity for 90 minutes. That combination of attributes is extraordinarily rare.”
The situation has forced Guardiola to adapt his approach, with City playing a slightly more conservative game, less reliant on the high pressing that had become their trademark. The team has compensated somewhat through the brilliant form of Kevin De Bruyne, who has shouldered additional creative responsibility, and Phil Foden, who continues to develop into one of the world’s elite attacking midfielders.
The rehabilitation process for an ACL injury is notoriously challenging, requiring not only physical healing but immense psychological resilience. Modern sports medicine has improved recovery times significantly, but the injury remains one of the most serious a footballer can face.
Rodri’s recovery has been managed by City’s elite medical team, led by head team doctor Max Sala and head physiotherapist Lee Nobes. The process typically begins with reducing swelling and regaining range of motion in the affected knee, before gradually building up muscle strength around the joint. Only after substantial strength has returned do players typically return to light training on the grass.
The footage released by Manchester City shows Rodri engaged in what appears to be phase three of a typical ACL rehabilitation—controlled running, light ball work, and specific movement patterns designed to test the stability of the reconstructed ligament. His movements appear fluid and confident, suggesting the recovery is progressing well.
In his most recent press conference, Guardiola was characteristically cautious about timelines: “The most important thing for Rodri now is to recover well. It’s going really well and he feels really good, but step by step we will see.”
This careful approach reflects the club’s understanding of the risks involved in rushing players back from such significant injuries. While the temptation to accelerate Rodri’s return must be strong given City’s current league position, the long-term health of a player who signed a contract extension just last year remains the priority.
Rodri himself has maintained a remarkably philosophical attitude throughout his rehabilitation. Known for his intelligence both on and off the pitch—he was studying for a business degree during his early years at City—the midfielder has approached his recovery with characteristic diligence.
In his only public comment about the injury, cited in the club’s recent update, Rodri said: “Well, I always say, it’s part of life. Injuries, athletes are used to these kind of things.” This stoic acceptance has impressed the medical staff working with him, who report that his commitment to the rehabilitation program has been exemplary.
Behind the scenes, sources close to the player suggest he has used the time away from competitive action to analyze his own game, watching countless hours of footage both of himself and other elite defensive midfielders. He has also become something of an unofficial coaching assistant, regularly discussing tactical approaches with Guardiola and providing insights to his teammates from his unique perspective.
Teammate and close friend Aymeric Laporte revealed in a January interview with Spanish newspaper Marca that Rodri’s influence remains strong despite his absence from the pitch: “He’s still with us every day, still part of every tactical discussion. Sometimes he sees things from the outside that we don’t notice when we’re playing. Pep values his opinion highly, and he’s helping the younger players understand their positions better.”
Rodri’s importance to Manchester City was officially recognized on a global stage in October 2024, when he became just the second Spanish player to win the Ballon d’Or, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Luis Suárez who won it in 1960. The award recognized not only his contributions to City’s success but also his pivotal role in Spain’s triumph at the European Championship last summer.
The irony of receiving football’s most prestigious individual honor while being unable to play due to injury wasn’t lost on Rodri, who attended the ceremony on crutches. “This makes the journey back even more meaningful,” he told reporters after receiving the award. “To know that I reached the highest level, and now I have the challenge to return there.”
His Ballon d’Or victory reflected a shifting appreciation in football for players who excel not through flashy skills or goal-scoring exploits, but through tactical intelligence and positional discipline. Rodri’s recognition represented a victory for the understated, often underappreciated art of the defensive midfielder.
While the sight of Rodri back on the training pitch has boosted morale at the Etihad Campus, the reality is that his return to competitive action this season remains unlikely. ACL rehabilitation typically requires a minimum of nine months, which would place his earliest possible return in June—after the conclusion of the domestic season.
The club must therefore plan for the remainder of the campaign without their midfield lynchpin. Despite their relatively poor league position, City remain active in three competitions: the Premier League, where a late surge could still put pressure on the teams above them; the FA Cup, where they face Championship side Plymouth Argyle in the fifth round; and the Champions League, where they have progressed to the knockout stages and remain one of the favorites despite their domestic struggles.
The immediate challenge for Guardiola is the FA Cup tie against Plymouth, a match in which City will be overwhelming favorites despite their inconsistent form. The manager will likely use the game as an opportunity to rest key players and perhaps integrate some of the younger talent that has been developed through City’s acclaimed academy system.
Looking beyond that, tough Premier League fixtures against Tottenham and local rivals Manchester United loom large, games that could define whether City can salvage their domestic campaign. The absence of Rodri will be particularly felt in these high-intensity matches against top opposition, where his ability to control the tempo and provide defensive security has been so crucial in recent seasons.
Rodri’s injury, while perhaps the most significant, is not isolated. Manchester City have endured an unusually high number of injuries to key players throughout the 2024-25 season. Alongside their Spanish midfielder, they have had to cope with extended absences for John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Oscar Bobb, while leading scorer Erling Haaland has also missed several crucial fixtures.
This injury crisis has stretched Guardiola’s squad to its limits and raised questions about the sustainability of the intense playing style and heavy schedule faced by elite clubs. City’s participation in seven different competitions this season—Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, and the expanded FIFA Club World Cup—has meant little recovery time between matches.
Sports science experts have pointed to this congested calendar as a contributing factor to the increased injury rates, not just at City but across top European leagues. The players’ union, FIFPro, has been increasingly vocal about the physical demands being placed on professional footballers, using Rodri’s case as an example of the potential consequences of fixture overload.
While Rodri’s return to grass-based training represents significant progress, the club’s careful communications suggest they are planning for his full comeback at the beginning of next season rather than rushing him back for the final matches of the current campaign.
This cautious approach makes sense not only from a medical perspective but also in terms of the club’s long-term planning. At 28, Rodri should have several years at his peak level ahead of him, provided his rehabilitation is managed correctly. Having signed a contract extension until 2028 last year, he remains central to City’s future ambitions.
The club’s transfer strategy may also be influenced by this experience. The difficulty they have faced in replacing Rodri suggests they may look to recruit additional defensive midfield options in the summer transfer window, perhaps targeting younger players who can learn from the Spaniard while providing genuine cover when needed.
Names linked with the club include Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana and Benfica’s young talent João Neves, both of whom possess the technical and physical attributes that might allow them to develop into the kind of midfielder who could eventually fill Rodri’s considerable shoes.
For Manchester City fans, the sight of Rodri back on the training pitch represents more than just the recovery of a key player—it symbolizes hope for a return to the dominance they have come to expect. While this season may prove to be a rare trophyless campaign for Guardiola’s side, the future looks brighter with their midfield general working his way back to fitness.
The challenges of this season have also revealed valuable information about the squad’s dependency on certain key individuals, knowledge that will likely inform recruitment and tactical development moving forward. Guardiola, ever the perfectionist, will undoubtedly use these lessons to evolve his team once again.
For Rodri himself, the journey back from such a serious injury represents perhaps the greatest challenge of his professional career. Yet his methodical, intelligent approach to the game suggests he has the mental fortitude required to return at the highest level.
As City prepare for their FA Cup clash with Plymouth Argyle, the footage of their Ballon d’Or winner back on the grass serves as a timely reminder that in football, as in life, even the darkest periods eventually give way to new beginnings. For Rodri and Manchester City, that new beginning may be just over the horizon.
