Guardiola insists he won't rush Rodrygo's return

Pep Guardiola is encouraged by the return of Rodrygo Goes, with the Spanish midfielder finally back at Manchester City's training ground after a long injury absence, but the boss insists his return will not be rushed.

Rodrigo tore his cruciate ligament in last year's game against Arsenal. After more than five months of recovery, he finally returned to the training ground on Friday. The initial diagnosis was that he would be out for the season, but now his return to training has excited Manchester City fans and rekindled his hope of returning at the end of the season.

However, Guardiola stressed that the team needs to be cautious about Rodrigo's recovery and not risk a relapse by rushing to return. He admitted that the midfielder has a chance to return in the last few Premier League games or in the late stages of the FA Cup. At present, Manchester City has successfully advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals and eliminated Plymouth.

At the press conference, Guardiola said: "I fully understand the excitement of the fans. It has been five or six months. But we have to take it step by step and cannot make a stupid decision to let him return early. Although the situation is good, he is still far from a real comeback. But he has touched the ball with his teammates in the locker room today. He is more confident and happier."

"I thought he would not be back for the entire season, not even for the Club World Cup. But now, the possibility of his return in the Premier League is increasing.

Manchester City is currently enjoying a rare seven-day break, and they will play away against Nottingham Forest in the next Premier League game. Since they were eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League, Guardiola plans to use this time to give the players a rest and conduct more targeted training. He said: "This is new for us. We have never encountered such a situation in all these years. We will give the players a few days off to adjust their condition, because the quality of the game is more important than the quantity."

"We will use this time to get back on track and prepare for the crucial game against Forest. After that, we have another week to prepare for Brighton, followed by the international match day and the FA Cup. We need to use this time to practice what needs to be practiced and adjust what needs to be adjusted."