Gary Lineker has expressed his surprise at Rodri after the Manchester City No.16 picked up the first red card of his career.
The 62-year-old was speaking about the incident on The Rest Is Football podcast.
So, what did Gary Lineker say about Rodri? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the BBC Match of the Day host was shocked to see the Spain international act so recklessly in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Speaking to Micah Richards about the incident, Lineker said: “The Rodri red card. It was a surprise because he always seems in such control. He lost his rag a little bit.”
It was certainly a surprising moment – to say the least.
The £220,000-a-week man has looked like one of the most assured players across the entirety of Europe since arriving in a £62.8m deal from Atlético Madrid back in July 2019.
Rodri rarely flies into challenges, never gets caught in possession, nor does he engage in clashes with opponents like he did with Morgan Gibbs-White on Saturday.
However – for whatever reason – the Spaniard totally lost his cool against Steve Cooper’s men, and will now miss the next three domestic games for Manchester City, starting with tonight’s Carabao Cup Third Round clash against Newcastle United.
Rodri can play again after just two games for Manchester City
Interestingly, Rodri will only miss tonight’s meeting with the Magpies, and Saturday’s trip to Molineux to face Wolves, before he can play again.
That is because Manchester City have a UEFA Champions League clash against RB Leipzig before the final game of Rodri’s domestic ban comes against Arsenal on Sunday 8th October.
The 27-year-old’s ban only applies to domestic games as his red card occurred in the Premier League, meaning he is free to play in European competitions despite the suspension.
With all due respect to Red Star Belgrade and BSC Young Boys, the German side are arguably Manchester City’s toughest opponent in Group G, so Rodri’s return for that game is a huge boost for Pep Guardiola.
