Former Manchester City captain backs Rodri to return to Ballon d’Or-winning form | OneFootball

Rodri has received encouragement from a former captain of Manchester City ahead of his return to consistent on-field action under Pep Guardiola.

The 29-year-old made his long-awaited return to Premier League action in City’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday, with strikes from Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha helping Thomas Frank and co inflict City’s first loss of the season.

Having suffered an ACL injury against Arsenal in September 2024, the Ballon d’Or holder spent nearly the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign on the sidelines and only returned to the pitch in May, when he replaced Erling Haaland in the closing stages of a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Kevin De Bruyne’s final home appearance at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City have recruited heavily since January and with Mateo Kovacic also working towards full fitness, the Blues have relied on the trio of Nico Gonzalez, Ilkay Gundogan and summer signing Tijjani Reijnders to hold down the fort in the middle of the park.

In a new interview with Betway, former Manchester City captain Richard Dunne has backed Rodri to return to his pre-injury performance levels and believes a new-found partnership may be struck with Reijnders at the Etihad Stadium.

“He (Rodri) just gives them that anchor in midfield that was missing last season. It allows the other players to go forward and express themselves because you know he will just sit in midfield. He prevents counterattacks and plays a part in starting City’s own counters,” said Dunne.

Rodri’s absence was felt dearly at the Etihad Stadium last season as Guardiola endured his most challenging seasons as Manchester City manager, with the Blues recording their lowest points tally (71) in the Premier League since the Spaniard was appointed manager in 2016.

“He (Rodri) been a huge miss for that team,” Dunne added. “Much of the success over the past five years has been largely down to how important he is in the team. You only have to look at last season and the drop-off because he wasn’t in the team.”

Having recruited Reijunders from AC Milan this summer, the prospect of a fit Rodri playing alongside the Netherlands international has left Manchester City fans excited for when the Ballon d’Or winner be deemed fit to play 90 minutes by Guardiola.

Rodri is available for selection as things stand but Guardiola has admitted that it will likely not be until after the upcoming international break that Manchester City will be able to lean on the 29-year-old to start from the off.

“Getting him (Rodri) back, getting him fit, and having someone like (Tijjani) Reijnders around him who can some of the running for him will definitely help,” Dunne said. “I just think at times they (City) lacked leaders in midfield. They obviously had experienced players in there, but they lacked that defensive-minded player.

“It’s like any team. If you take Mo Salah out of the Liverpool side, then they’d have obvious problems. The same goes for Rodri, so it’s a huge boost for City. This is a player who won the Ballon d’Or.

“He (Rodri) has not been able to show why he was the best player in the world due to his injury. I’m sure he’ll be keen to have a good season and show the world what he’s capable of again.”

Dunne was also asked whether Rodri could return to being the same player prior to the ACL injury he sustained last autumn. “I would have thought it will take him (Rodri) some time to get back to his best. I don’t expect him to walk back into the team and be the same player before the injury,” the Irishman added.

“Rodri will still be one of the top midfielders in the world, even if he’s slightly off a few percent of his best. We saw it with Virgil van Dijk a few years ago. Yes, he wasn’t at his best, but he was still better than most. So, I would expect the same with Rodri.

“Especially with the players that have come in gives Pep Guardiola the opportunity to give him (Rodri) more of a rest. Previous to that, he would play every game week in, week out. He barely missed any games, or any minutes for that matter.

“I think there will be an opportunity for him (Rodri) to reintegrate into the team at his own pace because the manager has other options, which will be important for him. Obviously, the more he plays the better he’ll get.

“I’m sure hen (Rodri) will be desperate to get back to those levels he showed. But he has to realise that it could take a bit of time to get there. Over the course of the season, I’m sure he’ll pull his weight in this team.”