“I sometimes feel bad” – Manchester City star holds talks with club over health fears prior to new campaign

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has revealed concerns over his health and the potential for burn-out ahead of the new Premier League season.

The 27-year-old, who smashed Manchester City to their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy in Istanbul in June, featured in 55 matches for the Sky Blues during the treble-winning campaign.

In the Premier League, only Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes played more minutes than the Spanish midfielder, with Rodri playing a total of 4,465 minutes over the course of the season.

Last season’s appearance tally was 10 matches more than the previous year, and following the treble triumph, Rodri represented Spain in the UEFA Nations League Finals.

The midfielder has made 208 appearances for Manchester City since moving to the Etihad Stadium in 2019, and the 27-year-old has become a crucial member of Pep Guardiola’s squad following the exit of Fernandinho.

As well as scoring the winning goal in the Champions League Final, Rodri netted a stunning goal against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last season.

The Spain international also memorably scored the equalising goal against Aston Villa in May 2022, as Manchester City dramatically won the Premier League title with an incredible late comeback.

Manchester City begin their latest Premier League title defence against Burnley on Friday evening, with Guardiola’s side travelling to Turf Moor to face Vincent Kompany’s newly-promoted side.

Ahead of the season however, Rodri has revealed fears over the potential for burn-out, and subsequent bad health, during an interview with the Daily Mail’s Jack Gaughan.

“I don’t remember exactly the number of games I played, but I had a talk with the club and the coach because it’s not healthy.

“You can do it for one season, but when it’s two or three in a row, it can be worse for the team because your physicality can drop. So I have to watch out. We have already spoken that, it cannot always be like this.”

“The important thing for me is that they know the situation and they know that for the next few seasons we will have to watch out.

“Now I am young, but maybe when I get to 30 or 31 I cannot do this kind of thing, so I have to watch the body because 60 games is not the best thing for a player. Also, the seasons get even longer every year. We have to adapt to this.”

City were involved in 61 matches last season, and during the new campaign, will additionally feature in the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

The Spaniard further admitted that the potential to make history played a key role in completing the season last year.

“On the other hand, I had the feeling that we were fighting for everything and I had to push my body to the limit. That’s why I sometimes feel bad at the end of the season, but for me it was great.

“The best version of City came in the last months. Arsenal were just playing one tournament and we were in three.

“It speaks to the mentality and physicality. I can tell you in that moment that I was very, very tired. Maybe the head was stronger than the body. We made a step forward and that’s what the top players do.

“To be honest, I never get enough rest. I feel pretty well recovered after having about one month off. It was a good break and we have a coach who understands and who gives us everything he can to recover.”