Rodri, City Face Injury Setbacks Before New Season

Manchester City midfielder and Ballon d'Or winner Rodri will miss the start of the new Premier League season after suffering a groin injury during the Club World Cup defeat to Al Hilal, following a previous ACL injury. Manager Pep Guardiola confirmed Rodri has only recently returned to partial training and is not expected to be fully fit until after the September international break, although he may play limited minutes in early matches against Wolverhampton, Tottenham, and Brighton. Guardiola stressed the need for a cautious approach to prevent a recurrence of injury. Other key players, including Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol, and Mateo Kovacic, are also managing fitness issues and missed the pre-season friendly against Palermo. Manchester City finished third last season and went trophyless for the first time in nine years. The club's new Premier League campaign begins away at Wolves on August 16, with a focus on player recovery and improvement.