Man City Injury Update: Confirmed Latest on Phil Foden, Rodri and More | OneFootball

Manchester City Injury Update on Rodri, Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic Ahead of Wolves Clash

Manchester City are preparing for their Premier League opener against Wolves at Molineux, but Pep Guardiola’s side could be missing some important names. The fixture, set for the Saturday tea-time slot, will also mark a return for former Wolves defender Rayan Aït-Nouri to his old ground.

City endured a turbulent injury record last season, which played a part in a busy January transfer window that brought in Omar Marmoush, Nico González, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov. This summer has seen even more movement, with Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker among those to depart. Reis has gone to Girona on loan, Maximo Perrone has moved to Como and Yan Couto has joined Borussia Dortmund permanently, leaving right-back depth thin.

Incoming signings Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, James Trafford, Sverre Nypan and Marcus Bettinelli have already joined up with the squad as City aim for another strong season.

Rodri’s Fitness Race

Rodri, the Ballon d’Or holder and a key figure in City’s midfield, spent most of last season sidelined with an ACL injury suffered against Arsenal. His return was further delayed by a “big injury” picked up in the Club World Cup defeat to Al-Hilal.

“Rodri is getting better but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal,” Guardiola said.

“He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break, he will be really fit.

Photo: IMAGO

“Hopefully in these games, he can play some minutes, but what is important is that he doesn’t have pain because we don’t want Rodri coming back injured. We will try desperately to avoid that.

“He has been training the last two sessions with us and that’s good.”

A return against Wolves remains possible, with Tottenham and Brighton to follow before the September international break.

Phil Foden Set for Late Call

Phil Foden missed the recent trip to Palermo due to an ankle knock, though Guardiola remains optimistic about his involvement against Wolves.

“Phil was doing really good but he had a problem with a knock on his ankle that’s why as a precaution we did it,” Guardiola explained.

“Phil, hopefully [could play 90 minutes against Wolves], it depends on the problem but it’s a long week so hopefully.”

City supporters will be eager to see the England international back in action given his creative influence and recent form.

Kovacic’s Longer Road Back

Mateo Kovacic will not feature this weekend as he continues recovery from Achilles surgery. The Croatian midfielder is expected to be unavailable until late September or early October.

“We have three [defensive midfielders] I would say with Kova injured until September or October – hopefully earlier,” Guardiola confirmed.

Echeverri Back in Contention

Young Argentine Claudio Echeverri could be in the squad after missing several weeks with an ankle injury picked up in training. Signed in January, the 19-year-old showed flashes of quality last season and also scored in the Club World Cup before being sidelined.

Kick-off at Molineux will give Guardiola an early test of squad depth, with Manchester City looking to start the season strongly despite the injury challenges to Rodri, Phil Foden and others.