Pep Guardiola confirms Rodri will miss Man City’s matches against Villarreal and Aston Villa

Manchester City midfielder Rodri will miss the club’s upcoming matches against Villarreal and Aston Villa, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed.

The 29-year-old, who spent much of last season sidelined with a major knee injury, was forced off during the first half of City’s 1-0 victory at Brentford on October 5 and subsequently withdrew from Spain’s World Cup qualifying squad. He also missed City’s 2-0 home win over Everton on Saturday.

“I don’t think so for Villarreal or Aston Villa,” Guardiola told British media. “It’s not long, but it’s muscular and you have to be careful. We’ve tried so many times, we’ve tried to not take a risk, but we have not been able to manage that. So we will see.”

City face Rodri’s former club Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, before returning to Premier League action against Aston Villa on Sunday.

The reigning champions are currently second in the league with 16 points from eight matches, three points behind leaders Arsenal.