Pep Guardiola Gives Update on Rodri, Donnarumma and Fulham Ahead of Fulham Match

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Monday he does not know when midfielder Rodri will be ready to play again.

Rodri missed much of last season with a knee injury and has had only one short appearance in the last 10 games because of a hamstring problem. The 29 year old is ruled out of Tuesday’s trip to Fulham and is unsure for the home match with Sunderland on Saturday. When asked if Rodri was available Guardiola said, “No, not yet,” and when asked if he could play at the weekend he replied, “I don’t know.”

Guardiola also addressed the situation with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Donnarumma received his fourth booking in City colours during the late 3-2 win over Leeds. Leeds manager Daniel Farke claimed Donnarumma faked an injury to give Guardiola time for a team talk. The Italian is now one yellow card away from a ban. On the bookings Guardiola said, “Yes, he has a lot (of bookings), he has many,” and added, “It is what it is.” When asked if he had discussed the issue with Donnarumma he answered, “No.”

Guardiola then spoke about Fulham and their manager Marco Silva after Fulham’s strong 2-1 win at Tottenham. He praised Fulham’s organization and said they are hard to break down. On Silva he said, “Marco is many, many years there and always (when we) have been there, really, really tough games, difficult,” and noted recent tough matches against Chelsea, Arsenal and Sunderland. He said Craven Cottage is a tough place for visitors.