Both players stayed behind in Manchester as City travelled to Palermo for Saturday\u2019s Anglo Palermitan Trophy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rodri missed the majority of last season after suffering a knee injury \u2013 returning to feature in the final two games of the campaign before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking ahead of the game in Sicily on Saturday, Guardiola gave an update on the players.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cPhil was doing really good but he had a problem with a knock on his ankle that\u2019s why as a precaution we did it. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cRodri\u2019s getting better but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal and for the last five or six weeks. He\u2019s training right now and in the last two or three days is better. Hopefully maybe the international break is when he will be really really fit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHopefully, in the games [before then] he can play some minutes. But the important thing is to not have pain because we don\u2019t want him to be come back and injured, come back and injured.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
We will try desperately to avoid that but he\u2019s training the last two or three days with us and that\u2019s good,\u201d said Guardiola. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked if they would be available for City\u2019s Premier League opener at Wolves on Saturday, August 16, Guardiola added: \u201c90 minutes for Rodri I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cPhil, hopefully, it depends on the problem but it\u2019s a long week so hopefully.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic missed the tournament in the United States after having surgery on an Achilles injury.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Croatian is not part of the travelling squad and Guardiola is hoping to have him back in contention as soon as possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With Rodri\u2019s return being carefully managed, Nico is among the candidates to take on the defensive midfield role, along with Ilkay Gundogan and Tijjani Reijnders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe have three [midfielders] I would say with Kova injured until September or October - hopefully earlier,\u201d the boss added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cRodri was out for six months and Nico. The other ones can play there but they are attacking midfielders, more that can play in the box.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe have three [midfielders] I would say with Kova injured until September or October - hopefully earlier,\u201d the boss added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThat is good this season, I saw the schedule in my office and I said after September its every three days, every three days so at the end we will need players.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n