Spain midfielder Rodri will need surgery and rest before returning to the club, new coach Maresca said.
Published July 24, 2026
Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who played for Spain at the World Cup last week and was named the tournament’s best player, will undergo back surgery next week, manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed.
Speaking at his presentation as Man City’s new manager on Friday, Maresca did not say how long it would take Rodri to recover from his latest injury setback.
The Spaniard suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2024 and endured an injury break last season before leading Spain to their second World Cup victory and winning the Golden Ball in Sunday’s final.
City’s new Italian manager, who took charge of the former English Premier League champions following the departure of legendary title-winning manager Josep Guardiola, has said he wants the former Ballon d’Or winner to remain at the club amid speculation over his future.
“There’s always speculation around big players, so I’m not worried about that,” Maresca said.
“I think it’s natural because they won the World Cup. He was one of the best players and I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he’s a top player,” Maresca said. “But now (he) has surgery on Monday, so he needs time off. He needs to rest, he needs to recover, and then he’ll be back here with us.”
The 46-year-old, 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.
“First of all, I want to say it’s an honour. The reason the club decided to sign me is because for me it means an honour,” 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 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 some similar concepts with the previous manager, and we always try to be aggressive on the ball, control the game and be the ones to impose our ideas,” he said. “And the most important thing in football is winning the game at the end.”
