Enzo Maresca has confirmed Rodri will undergo surgery on Monday, in his first press conference as City manager.
“Rodri will undergo surgery on Monday, and then he needs a vacation,” Maresca said. “He needs to rest, recover, and then he’ll return here with us.”
The surgery had been expected since reports emerged last week of a back issue picked up during Spain’s World Cup-winning campaign, though conflicting accounts had left the timeline and severity unclear. Maresca’s confirmation settles the date, if not yet the length of Rodri’s absence.
The framing — surgery followed by a period of rest rather than an immediate return to training — points to City managing Rodri’s comeback carefully rather than rushing him back for the Asia tour or the Community Shield.
Rodri started every one of Spain’s matches bar the opener at the World Cup, captaining the side to the title and winning the Golden Ball as player of the tournament, a workload that left him with little recovery time before the operation.
It leaves Maresca working out his midfield without City’s first-choice anchor for the start of the season, with Elliot Anderson’s arrival and increased roles for Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic among the options being weighed in his absence.
Rodri’s contract situation, with one year left to run and Real Madrid interest still lingering, remains a separate conversation for when he returns.
