Rodri out for City as Guardiola plans midfield rotation

Pep Guardiola on Friday offered a cautious fitness update ahead of Manchester City’s Premier League return at the Etihad on Saturday, saying midfielder Rodri remains unavailable and that the club is unsure when he will return. The City manager confirmed several squad players are nearing fitness, but warned he does not yet know if Rodri can be involved against Everton.

Rodri did not train this week and Guardiola said plainly, "No news. He is not ready for tomorrow. I do not know when he will be back," leaving the Spain captain a doubt for the weekend and for decisions in a congested schedule that includes a Champions League trip to Villarreal on Tuesday. The midfielder is recovering from an extended layoff following an anterior cruciate ligament injury last season and has had recent muscle issues.

Guardiola said forward Omar Marmoush and left back Rayan Ait-Nouri have returned to training and are close to availability, while Mateo Kovacic is rebuilding match fitness and may require limited minutes initially. The manager described those players as "much, much better" and reiterated the need to manage minutes carefully with a busy run of fixtures.