Rodri was left out of the Manchester City squad to face Everton on Monday May 4, 2026, with the match scheduled for 8pm BST.
Pep Guardiola said Rodri is getting better and that he "does not want to risk the influential midfielder too early for fear of losing him for another extended period of time following a difficult couple of years with injury."
The midfielder missed matches after suffering a calf injury during City’s 2-1 win over Arsenal and did not play in the subsequent victory at Burnley or in City’s FA Cup semi-final comeback against Southampton at Wembley.
Guardiola made further injury-driven changes to his matchday selection on Monday. Gianluigi Donnarumma returned in goal against Everton after James Trafford had taken over in the FA Cup, Erling Haaland returned up front in place of Omar Marmoush, and Phil Foden dropped out of the starting lineup. City named a starting XI of Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guéhi, O’Reilly, Nico, Bernardo, Semenyo, Cherki, Doku and Haaland, with Trafford, Teun Koopmeiners Reijnders, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Marmoush, Kovacic, Ait-Nouri, Savinho and Foden among the substitutes.
Those selections underline how City’s squad picture has been shaped by injury. Ruben Dias had been sidelined with an ankle issue and had not played since the 2-1 Champions League last-16 second-leg defeat by Real Madrid on March 17. Josko Gvardiol sustained a leg fracture against Chelsea on January 4 and subsequently underwent surgery; Guardiola said Gvardiol "was making progress but remained unavailable."
On Dias, Guardiola said the centre-back "is getting better but is still not ready to play." The manager’s words on all three players — Rodri, Dias and Gvardiol — make clear that fitness is improving but not yet assured.
That has forced Guardiola into unconventional choices at the back and in midfield. Matheus Nunes continued at right-back against Everton while Abdukodir Khusanov and Marc Guéhi formed the central defensive partnership. By contrast, John Stones and Nathan Ake had featured in the side that played against Southampton at Wembley, illustrating how rotation and availability have been reshuffling City’s defensive picture in recent matches.
The tension for Guardiola is obvious in his approach: he is willing to bring players back — Donnarumma and Haaland were restored to the matchday XI — but is prepared to hold others back until he is certain they will not suffer a relapse. He made that balance plain when he said Rodri "is getting better" while stressing the risk of rushing him back too soon.
The single most consequential question heading into Mancity Vs Everton at 8pm BST is whether City’s makeshift defensive setup and the absence of Rodri, Dias and Gvardiol will be sustainable over the course of the match. Guardiola has chosen protection over urgency; tonight will show whether that caution leaves his side compact and resilient or exposed and fragile.
