Rodri will have surgery on a back issue on Monday, Manchester City’s new manager Enzo Maresca confirmed – while brushing off reports that the Ballon d’Or winner could be tempted away by Real Madrid.
The 30-year-old Spain captain, who guided his country to World Cup glory and was named the Golden Ball winner as player of the tournament, has had his last two club seasons badly disrupted by injury. An anterior cruciate ligament problem sidelined him for most of the 2024-25 campaign, and further setbacks last season left him often unavailable.
“Rodri undergoes back surgery Monday; Maresca dismisses Real Madrid talk; City sign Anderson for £116m record.”
Speaking at his first news conference since succeeding Pep Guardiola, Maresca said: “Now, [he has] surgery on Monday. Then he needs a holiday, he needs to rest and recover and then he will be back with us.”
The Italian did not give a timeline for Rodri’s return, but dismissed speculation linking the midfielder with a move to the Bernabéu. “Around big players there are always speculations so I am not worried about that,” Maresca said. “I think it is normal, also because they [Spain] won the World Cup and because he is one of the best players. I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he is a top player.”
The Standard reported that Real Madrid are prepared to tempt the Spaniard homewards, but Maresca’s confidence suggests City expect to keep their star. The manager also confirmed he hopes to have other players back three or four days before the Community Shield against Arsenal on 16 August.
Meanwhile, City have shattered their transfer record to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m. The 23-year-old midfielder was a key figure in England’s World Cup squad, with head coach Thomas Tuchel calling him “the full package”.
Anderson, who began his football journey on Tyneside at Valley Gardens Middle School and Wallsend Boys’ Club, was reluctantly sold by Newcastle for £35m in July 2024 due to profit and sustainability rules. Magpies boss Eddie Howe described it as “the most reluctant in my career”.
His former English and PE teacher at Valley Gardens, Jonathan Roys, recalled: “His brothers had been through the school and I played against his dad. Being the youngest of three he was used to getting bossed about a little bit, but he took no quarter off anybody. He’d get stuck right in.”
Anderson’s move to City, a club he craved, completes a remarkable rise from the playing fields of Wallsend to becoming the club’s most expensive signing.