Will Rodri Start Against Fulham in the Premier League?

Manchester City will be looking to end their 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a dominant win over Fulham in their final match of the campaign. The Cityzens need to win the game to secure a third-place finish in the league and speculation is swirling over if Rodri will start in the Premier League clash against Fulham.

The 28-year-old midfielder made his return from a knee injury in the Cityzens' recent 3-1 win over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium. He has worked hard to regain full fitness after the crushing injury and seems to be fully match fit heading into the final game of the campaign. Now the biggest question is, will Rodri start for Man City?

Will Rodri Start for Man City against Fulham?

Rodri has been able to regain his match sharpness after recovering from the knee issue. He proved that with his short cameo in the win over the Cherries, with the midfielder coming on in the late stages of the game and playing for around seven minutes.

Pep Guardiola provided a definitive update on whether Rodri can be expected to start his first match for Manchester City since late September (2024) in the upcoming game against Fulham. He stated: “We’re really pleased he's back, really pleased for the reaction for our people to him, I’m pretty sure he’s so pleased with that. There’s still a long way to be the Rodri he was. He’s not ready to start [against Fulham].”

Basically, the Spanish manager has straight up clarified that Rodri is not fit enough to start matches or complete a full 90 minutes of a match yet before the Fulham clash. He will have to wait a bit longer before being able to reclaim his starter status with the Premier League giants.

What is in the future for Rodri?

Rodri enjoyed a prolific 2024 with both club and country. He helped Spain win the Euro 2024 title and also won the Premier League title with Manchester City. His impressive performances for club and country helped him win the 2024 Ballon d'Or award, as he beat Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr to claim the award. However, Rodri has had trouble playing mathces in the 2024/25 season because of the injury he sustained in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on 22 September, 2024.

That has restricted him to only four appearances in all competitions this season, including three in the Premier League. However, the 28-year-old is now closely working his way back to full fitness. Even though he might not start against Fulham, Rodri will push to get more minutes as a substitute and help his side seal a big win at Craven Cottage.

After that, Rodri will be determined to help Manchester City win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Pep Guardiola's side will play three group stage matches in the competition, where they'll face Juventus, Wydad AC and Al Ain. They will look to top the group and dominate their way to the final, which takes place on July 15, and win the prestigious international competition. Rodri should be fitter to start matches in the Club World Cup and reclaim his place as the midfield general for Manchester City.