Rodri reveals Manchester City return date after leaving FIFA Club World Cup Final with ‘light strapping to right knee’

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has announced when he will return for the club after suffering a knee injury during the FIFA Club World Cup Final.

The Spain international was forced off during the second-half of the FIFA Club World Cup Final victory over Fluminense with a suspected knee injury, causing a potential major blow to Manchester City’s Premier League title aspirations.

Pep Guardiola’s side were crowned Club World Cup winners with an emphatic 4-0 win in Saudi Arabia, but concern surrounding Rodri’s fitness risked dampening the celebratory mood within the Manchester City squad.

Goals from Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden secured Manchester City’s first Club World Cup, as the Sky Blues won their fifth trophy of 2023; adding to the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Super Cup.

Alvarez opened the scoring with an improvised finish just 40 seconds into the clash, before Foden doubled the Blues’ lead as his deflected cross bounced into the Fluminense net.

The pair were on the scoresheet again in the second-half, with Foden sliding in a third goal, before a thumping effort from Alvarez was blasted into the bottom corner.

Manchester City, who have failed to win all four matches without Rodri so far this season in the Premier League, return to their title bid against Everton on Wednesday evening at Goodison Park.

The Sky Blues are currently five points behind league leaders Arsenal, and have won just one of their last six Premier League matches.

Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku are all currently out, with concerns that Rodri would become the latest Manchester City player sidelined after a nasty second-half challange by Alexsander.

The 27-year-old left the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah with ‘light strapping on his right knee, but was walking normally’, according to Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports.

The midfielder told the journalist that the ‘tackle was one of the worst he has experienced in his career, and that he almost cried’.

However, Rodri also revealed that he was ‘absolutely fine’ and expects to be fit to face Everton in midweek.