Rodri’s four-word message to Pep Guardiola revealed after returning to Manchester City action against Brentford

Pep Guardiola has revealed what he was told by defensive midfield star Rodri following his first minutes for Manchester City in the new season over the weekend.

The Spanish international registered his first minutes for the club in a brand new season, having been granted an extended break away from action following the culmination of an intense competitive season last time around.

Rodri’s exploits for Manchester City, resulting in a record-breaking fourth successive Premier League crown, were added to at international level, after the 28-year-old went all the way with Spain to claim the European Championships title ahead of England in Berlin.

Mateo Kovacic’s fine form at the base of Manchester City’s three-man midfield would ensure that Pep Guardiola found the trust to continue without Rodri, allowing the Ballon d’Or contender to fully recover and recharge following a demanding campaign.

Quizzed on whether it was a welcome return to his roster of players in action for Manchester City over the weekend, Pep Guardiola insisted on the importance of the Spaniard to his operation, despite Mateo Kovacic’s successful start to the new season.

“Ah, come on… He came there and played really good,” Guardiola said on Rodri. “He’s been injured, played a few minutes for the (Spanish) national team and we say thank you so much for not letting him play a lot of minutes, and today he played his first 45.”

Guardiola continued, whilst revealing Rodri’s assessment of his return, by saying, “I asked him how did you feel, and he said, ‘Yeah, I felt good’. Rodri, come on. Rodri is so important for us, but (Mateo) Kova has been amazing, and when Rodri cannot play all the matches Kova is there and we rotate, because we need that.

“Today is important that (Ilkay) Gundo had extra minutes and Kyle (Walker) had his first minutes, John (Stones) had his first minutes – so it’s really good to have that.”

Rodri and Mateo Kovacic will no doubt see plenty of action each throughout this season, with the demands of competing across multiple competitions expected to require consistent rotation between the pair.

The Spaniard is set to remain as City’s go-to defensive midfield option for the large majority of matches, and no doubt the more prominent fixtures. However, Kovacic’s performances during the opening matches means there is no longer concern in Rodri’s absence.

This week will likely see Rodri start in both the home Champions League contest against Inter Milan as well as the meeting against Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend. However, Mateo Kovacic would then be expected to come in against Watford in the Carabao Cup.