Guardiola: Rodrigo knows his importance to us | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has stated that Rodrigo knows just how crucial he is to his Manchester City side.

The Spaniard has again been one of the standout players across Europe this season as City chase down a third domestic Double in five seasons.

However, he was a surprise omission for many from the list of nominees for the Premier League Player of the Season earlier this week.

Fulham v City | Match preview

Rodrigo’s team-mates Phil Foden and Erling Haaland feature, with Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and Newcastle forward Alexander Isak also shortlisted.

Our No.16 has again enjoyed a stellar campaign, scoring seven times and assisting nine goals in 31 appearances in holding midfield.

He also tops the Premier League for most touches (3,752) and most passes completed (3,306).

Guardiola insists the lack of recognition for Rodrigo’s undeniable influence on the defending champions will not affect his midfield linchpin.

“Many deserve to be winners of trophies. The list is huge and everyone on it is important,” said Guardiola.

“He [Rodrigo] knows what we think about his importance and how magnificent and extraordinary a player he is. He shouldn't be worried about that at all.”

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“When I started these awards didn’t exist. All the nominees are more than well deserved. They all played really good, otherwise we would not be here.”

Before City’s 12:30 (UK) kick-off at Fulham on Saturday, the Club will play the FA Youth Cup final against Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium on Friday evening.

Having dominated the U18 Premier League in recent seasons before a second place finish this time around, we haven’t featured in a Youth Cup final since 2020.

That team featured a number of stars who have already established themselves as Premier League players, including Cole Palmer, James McAtee, Tommy Doyle and Oscar Bobb.

Ahead of tonight’s game, Guardiola backed Ben Wilkinson’s team to go for the win but insisted the result does not dictate the overall success of our incredibly productive Academy.

“They have to try to win but what happens happens,” he said.

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“It’s a process to learn, learn, learn. When you play in a final you always learn.

“You play with the pressure to perform well. But for the Academy it's really important. The last years have been unbelievable in many senses.”

Fulham v City app coverage

The Official Man City App allows you to follow all of the action at Craven Cottage all in one place.

Minute-by-minute text updates of the game will begin in our Matchday Centre two hours before kick-off, shortly followed by our Matchday Live show which will begin around 11:30 (UK) – as the team news comes in.

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The show will welcome special guests Kit Symons and Shaun Goater into the studio alongside host Cel Spellman.

They will provide City-centric insight before, during and after our penultimate away game of the 2023/24 season, as well as answering viewer questions throughout the broadcast. With audience participation actively encouraged, get in touch via WhatsApp: +447537186538.

During the game you can listen to blow-by-blow live audio commentary from Alistair Mann and Andy Morrison while our text commentary continues.

For those who have push notifications turned on, you can be alerted to the key moments in the action, including goals, red cards and team news.

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Extended highlights from the match, as well as a full-match replay [available with a CITY+ subscription] will be accessible from midnight.