There is now a layer of intrigue to the upcoming international break for Manchester City | OneFootball

Manchester City take on Brighton tomorrow at the Amex Stadium. Following tomorrow’s match, the first international break of the 25/26 season will occur. How Manchester City’s players perform for their countries is always of great interest. More important than that, is that each City player comes back from international duty without any fresh injury concerns.

There is one player in particular who will be the focus of attention over the international break. That is Rodri. Manchester City’s midfield general has been called up by Spain for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. How he performs will be worth keeping an eye on.

Rodri has earned his first international call-up since being struck down by an ACL injury.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente named his squad for his team’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey. Dani Carvajal and Rodri were recalled to the Spanish squad for the first time since both players sustained serious knee injuries last season. The return to international duty is a significant moment in the pair’s recovery from injury.

Speaking during his pre-game press conference yesterday ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Brighton, Pep Guardiola revealed that he hadn’t spoken with Spain manager Luis de la Fuente about an international call-up for Rodri. Furthermore, Pep Guardiola added that Rodri needs minutes on the pitch to work his way back to full fitness. Pep Guardiola explained: “I never spoke with the manager from Spain, never. But I spoke with Rodri. Of course, he feels better and needs minutes. I think they talk to each other and they decide to select him. When a player is fit, I always support to go to the national team.”

The hope from a Manchester City point of view is that Rodri can get through the upcoming internationals unscathed.

So far this season, Rodri has only played 20 minutes of football. That came last weekend during Manchester City’s 2-nil defeat to Tottenham. Manchester City’s most important player did get through several games at the recent FIFA Club World Cup. Those matches were well over six weeks ago. The hope is that Rodri is ready to play from a fitness point of view for his country. It is also hoped that Spain doesn’t rush Rodri back into the starting lineup before he is ready. That is one side of the equation.

The other side is that the opportunity to play for his country can aid Rodri’s bid to return to full fitness and rediscover his touch. As Pep Guardiola said, the current Ballon d’Or holder does need minutes on the pitch. He will likely get minutes of some description over the international break. How many minutes Rodri plays will be worth monitoring over the international break.

Rodri’s selection in the Spanish squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers adds a layer of intrigue to the international break from a Manchester City point of view. The hope is that Rodri can play his part for his country when the internationals are in action and return to Manchester City ready to go.