Barcelona have Rodri fitness concerns – but there’s a clever solution

3 Sept 2026 13:06 BST | 4 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

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Barcelona signed Rodri from Manchester City this summer in what was billed as one of their marquee moves of the summer.

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The World Cup winner hooked up with the Camp Nou side in a €60 million deal, having been linked with both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

But while the 30-year-old is Barca’s third-biggest signing of the decade, trailing only Anthony Gordon and Dani Olmo, El Chiringuito (via El Desmarque) reports that Hansi Flick already harbours serious concerns over one aspect of Rodri’s arrival.

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Rodri

DM, M (C)

Barcelona

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Barcelona

ETV Range

€48M - €58.6M

Barcelona have Rodri fitness concerns

"I'm not sure Rodri Hernandez will be a regular starter, and I mean that sincerely. If you ask Hansi Flick, in conversations with his coaching staff, they're convinced that you can't play Rodri in every game; he can't have a 60-game season, and he'll end up splitting his playing time 50-50 with Marc Bernal," Quim Domenech claimed.

Indeed, he has yet to start so far for the Blaugrana, appearing as a substitute against both Athletic Club and Rayo Vallecano. But this is not necessarily a sign of things to come for the World Cup winner.

The ex-Atletico Madrid star has faced a series of physical challenges in recent seasons, notably suffering an ACL injury that devastated his 2024/25 campaign. Since returning from that problem, he has faced hamstring and groin issues that saw him miss more than 100 days last term.

His Golden Ball win at the 2026 World Cup was evidence that he is capable of reaching his peak level even among these problems, but he underwent minor back surgery in the summer, hampering his pre-season preparations.

Flick can use Luis Enrique’s PSG playbook

Rodri’s fitness record until 2024 was excellent. In his first five seasons at Manchester City, he never missed more than five Premier League games in a single campaign.

The likelihood of him reaching that level of consistency again in the remainder of his career is slim. But that’s not a problem.

What Barcelona are worried about with their new signing is not necessarily the quantity of matches he plays in, but the quality.

Flick appears ready to take a leaf out of the playbook of one of his predecessors at Barcelona, Luis Enrique. The Spanish coach appreciates that at PSG, his squad is so superior to their rivals that they can cruise through their domestic games by rotating. This allows them to manage the energy levels of their players to concentrate on key games towards the end of the season. PSG have been so successful in this, they have won back-to-back Champions League titles.

Similarly, Barca are unchallenged by the vast majority of their La Liga opponents, and in any case, the Champions League format is such that they are virtually guaranteed to progress to the knockout rounds.

They can, therefore, manage Rodri’s minutes in a conservative fashion to allow him to be at his best when it’s required of him.

All this will serve to reduce the threat of injury for the Spain great, whose impact at Barcelona will be measured not by the number of games he plays, but by the impact he has when he does.