Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has revealed the status of summer signing Rodri for his side’s La Liga opener against Elche. This comes amid confirmation that the midfielder’s Blaugrana debut will not be forthcoming this weekend.
Rodri is of course fresh off being unveiled as the latest big-money addition to Spanish champions Barca’s first-team ranks.
After the 30-year-old made known his intention to depart Manchester City ahead of the expiration of his contract terms next summer, the Camp Nou brass quickly set about bringing Rodri to Catalunya’s capital for the seasons ahead.
And after several weeks of back-and-forth negotiations over the terms of the fee involved, this week, Deco and co. finally landed their man.
With Rodri having since been registered by his new employers for La Liga action, those of a Blaugrana persuasion were no doubt hopeful of catching a first glimpse of the Ballon d’Or winner in the famed red and blue stripes against Elche this weekend.
Drawn on such a prospect during his pre-match press conference on Saturday, however, Hansi Flick confirmed that this will not be the case:
“Rodri will train with the group from Monday. He won’t feature tomorrow against Elche. He did specific gym work and individual training today. We’re very happy with his signing.”
Conor Laird – GSFN
