Rodri Out After Back Surgery as Manchester City Prepare for Season Start

Manchester City will begin the Enzo Maresca era without one of their most influential figures, with Rodri undergoing back surgery and ruled out for what the club describe as a “short period of rehabilitation”.

The Spain midfielder went under the knife on Monday, days after Maresca confirmed the need for an operation and stressed that his midfield linchpin needed to “rest and recover” before rejoining the squad. City have offered no specific timeline, only that the issue had been troubling him “for some time” before the decision was made to proceed with the procedure.

No Rodri, no certainty

For a side built on control, losing Rodri at the start of a campaign is no minor detail. City face Arsenal in the Community Shield on 16 August, then open their Premier League title defence against Bournemouth a week later. Both fixtures now come with a question mark hanging over the base of Maresca’s midfield.

Rodri, who has a year left on his contract, enters a pivotal phase of his career. Fresh from guiding Spain to World Cup glory this month and being named player of the tournament, his stock has rarely been higher. The links to Real Madrid have grown louder, fuelled by his performances on the biggest stage and the uncertainty around his deal.

His recent club history tells a harsher story. The past two seasons have been repeatedly disrupted by injury, the most brutal blow a torn anterior cruciate ligament that wiped out most of City’s 2024-25 campaign for him. Now, as he attempts to rebuild rhythm and authority, a back problem cuts across his pre-season and the early weeks of Maresca’s project.

For City, the hope is simple: that “short period” means exactly that, and that this is a reset rather than the start of another long, stop-start year.

Gvardiol commits long term

While Rodri steps away to recover, City have moved to lock down another cornerstone of their future. As reported by BBC Sport in June, Josko Gvardiol has signed a new five-year contract, tying the defender to the club until the summer of 2031.

The 24-year-old Croatia international has packed plenty into his short time in Manchester. Since arriving from RB Leipzig in August 2023, he has already made 122 appearances and collected six trophies, including the Premier League title in his debut campaign. That level of exposure and success at his age underlines why City were so keen to secure his long-term commitment.

In a squad facing potential transition in key areas, Gvardiol’s new deal offers stability at the back. Rodri’s situation does the opposite in midfield.

Maresca’s early juggling act

Maresca walks into a dressing room accustomed to winning and to fine margins. His first competitive games could arrive without the man who so often dictates City’s tempo and shields their defence. The tactical reshuffle will be immediate and unforgiving.

City have lived through seasons without Rodri at full tilt before, forced to adapt as injuries chipped away at their structure. They still collected trophies. But with the Premier League tightening at the top and a new manager bedding in, the question sharpens: how long can they afford to be without their midfield reference point, and how might a restless transfer market complicate the picture?