Pep Guardiola Gets His Ballon d'Or Winner Back for Manchester City

Rodrigo Hernández is already training with his Manchester City teammates after tearing his knee last September

For any team in the world, losing access to their Ballon d'Or winner would be a nightmare… and Manchester City was no exception. However, it seems Pep Guardiola is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, as Rodrigo Hernández is now training again with the rest of the squad after suffering a knee injury last September.

Rodrigo Hernández is the most indispensable player for Manchester City

There are many reasons that can explain the poor season Manchester City has had. After becoming the first team to win four consecutive Premier League titles, they're now fighting at the end of the season just to qualify for the next Champions League. Still, if there’s a key turning point, it was on September 22 against Arsenal when, just 20 minutes into the game, Rodrigo Hernández said goodbye to the season just weeks before lifting the Ballon d'Or.

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Throughout Pep Guardiola’s time at Manchester City, the project has been built around many key players—especially Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and even Phil Foden, who was named MVP of last season’s Premier League. But the moment Rodrigo Hernández got injured, everyone at the Etihad Stadium realized he was the most irreplaceable piece in the Manchester City puzzle.

Guardiola announces Rodrigo Hernández’s return

During the winter transfer window, Manchester City tried to limit the damage by paying the €60 million release clause for Nico González from Porto. However, no one could match the level of performance Rodrigo Hernández had been delivering. He might return sooner than expected—and could even get minutes in the FA Cup final at Wembley, where Manchester City will face Crystal Palace on May 17.

Manchester City doesn’t want to take any risks. But it wouldn’t be surprising if Rodrigo Hernández has set that date as his comeback target—especially since it was the stadium where his 74-game unbeaten streak was broken exactly a year ago. “We’re very happy that Rodri is back in training. We’ll have to be cautious now. The moment the doctors say he can play, he’ll be back on the pitch.”