Manchester City star forced off at half-time of Euro 2024 final in major Pep Guardiola blow

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have suffered a potential major injury blow ahead of the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Sky Blues begin preparations for the new campaign later this month, travelling to the United States for a four-match pre-season tour prior to starting their Premier League title defence at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.

Guardiola’s side also face a repeat of the Emirates FA Cup final in August, meeting local rivals Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in the FA Community Shield, following matches in America against Celtic, AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea.

Manchester City will be without a significant number of the first-team squad for pre-season, after over a dozen players competed across the European Championship and Copa America tournaments.

The Blues are additionally expected to be without Julian Alvarez for the opening weeks of the new campaign due to participation at the Olympics in Paris, with the Argentinian striker set to be absent until after the September international break.

Manchester City could also now be without Rodri for the start of the Premier League season, amid major concern surrounding the fitness of the 28-year-old following the midfielder’s shock withdrawal at half-time during the European Championship final against England on Sunday evening.

The Spaniard, who started 50 matches for Manchester City during the 2023/24 campaign, was replaced ahead of the second-half by Martin Zubimendi, leading to huge concern ahead of the new season.

Rodri looked distraught ahead of entering the tunnel for the half-time break at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, with the extent of the midfielder’s problem currently unknown.

The 28-year-old had previously revealed concerns with fatigue and burnout during the campaign at the Etihad Stadium, as Manchester City won the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Rodri crucially helped the Sky Blues to a record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title, scoring a pivotal goal against West Ham on the final day of the campaign in May.