Rodri, Manchester City's World Cup winner and Ballon d'Or holder, will have surgery on a back problem on Monday — and may miss the start of the Premier League season.

The news was confirmed by Enzo Maresca at his first news conference since being appointed Manchester City manager. The Italian coach, who has taken over after Pep Guardiola's tenure, faced questions on Rodri's fitness and future as a matter of course on day one (BBC Sport).

Sky Sports, reporting a day earlier, described the procedure as "minor surgery on his back" and suggested Rodri could be absent when the new campaign gets underway (Sky Sports). The Athletic went further, reporting that there is no clear timeframe for his recovery and that the prognosis remains unknown (The Athletic).

Maresca, for his part, struck a calm tone. "He needs a holiday, he needs to rest and recover and then he will be back with us," he said of the 30-year-old midfielder (BBC Sport).

It has been a punishing stretch for a player who is, by most measures, the outstanding midfielder in world football. Rodri captained Spain to World Cup glory this summer — their second title, 16 years after the first — and was named the Golden Ball winner as the tournament's best player. He also became the first Manchester City player to win the Ballon d'Or, the annual award for the world's best footballer (manctity.com).

Before the World Cup, his 2024-25 club season was derailed by an anterior cruciate ligament injury — a tear of the ligament that stabilises the knee — which ruled him out for the majority of the campaign. Further setbacks followed (BBC Sport). The back issue is the latest in a line of problems for a player who has surpassed 400 career appearances since making his senior debut with Villarreal in 2015 (mancity.com).

Maresca also batted away speculation linking Rodri with a move to Real Madrid. "Around big players there are always speculations, so I am not worried about that," he said, before adding: "I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he is a top player" (BBC Sport). His first press conference, covered by The Athletic on 25 July, also touched on his relationship with Jack Grealish and the Guardiola legacy he inherits (The Athletic).

City begin their competitive season against Arsenal in the Community Shield — the traditional curtain-raiser between last season's league champions and FA Cup winners — on Sunday, 16 August. Maresca said he expects other returning players to rejoin the squad three or four days before that fixture, though Rodri's availability remains in doubt (BBC Sport).

For City fans, the sight of their most important player heading back into surgery is an unwelcome echo of last season. For Maresca, it is an early test of his ability to steady the ship before a ball is kicked in earnest.