Man City will need new Rodri plan after Club World Cup setback

Pep Guardiola knew there was always a chance that Rodri would suffer some kind of setback as he eased his way back into action for Manchester City, and so it proved in the Club World Cup.

After 172 minutes of getting rid of the rust and getting back into the groove, the Ballon d'Or winner felt something and having come as a substitute against Al Hilal, he departed the scene at the Camping World Stadium.

In the aftermath of City's shock defeat to the Saudi Pro League side, Rodri wasn't a major talking point. He walked off the pitch without any signs of real discomfort and afterwards Guardiola only said that "he complained about his situation".

It appeared a minor setback and that isn't unusual. The 29-year-old had made an impressive recovery from the ACL injury he picked up in September, but players returning from such a serious injury often find that a return to the rigours and demands of training and games can place a strain on muscles that have had a little easier for several months, which is something Guardiola hinted at towards the end of last season.

"The moment the official doctor says Rodri can start to play minutes, after that he will start to play minutes, but the doctors have to tell me," said Guardiola.

"It was a difficult injury. It was an injury seven to 11 months, the doctor said. Every day Rodri is making more sessions but we have to wait so he doesn’t make a step backwards and get injured again so we have to be careful.

"Every training session he feels better and when the doctor says Rodri is stable and can start to play. After that, he is going to come back.”

Rodri had certainly begun to look sharper in the United States, benefitting from the block of training sessions and the chance to ease himself back