Rodri and Erling Haaland make welcome return to training for Manchester City ahead of Wolves clash
Manchester City have been given a welcome boost for the last few weeks of what has been a troubled season with Rodri and Erling Haaland both returning to training. A potential return of midfield fulcrum Rodri was a particular bonus given the 28-year-old was expected to miss the rest of the campaign when he ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament during City's draw with Arsenal back in September. Losing the Spaniard was a hammer blow to manager Pep Guardiola's plans as City aimed to win an unprecedented fifth Premier League title in a row. Rodri picked up the Ballon d'Or award weeks after picking up the knee injury after helping guide City to a fourth title on the trot and Spain to the Euro 2024 crown. His absence was a key factor as City slumped to the worst run of Guardiola's coaching career in a nightmare stretch of one win in 13 games across all competitions. 'The moment the doctor or physio says he can start to play minutes, after that he will start to play minutes,' said Guardiola ahead of City's league clash with in-form Wolves on Friday. 'It was a difficult injury, seven to eleven months the doctors said. He feels really good, every day he is making sessions, but we have to avoid making a step backwards and [getting] injured again. 'I don't know [when he will play]. When the doctor says Rodri – or Erling or the other ones – can do it I am going to think about it.' City are currently fourth in the table, with the top five qualifying next season's Uefa Champions League, 21 points behind Liverpool who sealed the title after thrashing Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield last weekend. They also have one final chance of securing silverware this season when they take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on May 17. Before that they have four league games to play – against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Fulham – and it remains to be season how much of a part Rodri will play. 'The important [thing] is one training session, another one, and every time he feels better and better. And when the doctor says 'Rodri is stable and he can start to play', after that he is going to come back,' said Guardiola. When pressed on whether he might play in the Wembley showpiece against London side Palace, Guardiola added: 'I'm not a doctor.' Haaland, meanwhile, has not played since picking up an ankle injury during City's FA Cup quarter-final win at Bournemouth in March. The prolific Norwegian won the Golden boot in both of his seasons since moving to City but is currently third in the scoring charts with 21 goals – one behind Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak and seven shy of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. But despite his return to full training, Haaland is unlikely to feature against Wolves, according the Guardiola: 'He's getting better [but] I don't think so.' City's hopes of sealing a top-five spot will be given a test on Friday with Wolves having won six games in a row, lifting the team up to 13th place and comfortably clear of the bottom three. 'The quality they have, the shape they play, the courage – it's no surprise,' said Guardiola of Wolves' winning streak. 'Wolves have always had, in the last years, really good players and now they're having an incredible run. It's another final for us, an important game." Portuguese manager Vitor Pereira - who took over from the sacked Gar O'Neil with Wolves second bottom after losing 11 of their 16 Premier League games - had an immediate impact. Pereira had won domestic titles with Porto and Olympiakos in his coaching career but had been in charge of Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab when Wolves came calling. He has since guided the team to an impressive run of 10 league wins and 32 points from 18 games, including a 3-0 win over Leicester City last time out when Matheus Cunha scored his 15th goal of the campaign. 'We live a good moment for what we have been doing, but this does not give the right to relaxation and the players know it,' Pereira said on Thursday. 'I want my team in Manchester to play with the identity we have been creating and competitive. Our season is not over yet, we want the best possible rating.'
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