Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed his readiness to give Rodri a rest following the midfielder’s request for a break.
Rodri, aged 27, has participated in 41 games this season and hinted after Tuesday’s Champions League draw against Real Madrid that City were considering giving him some time off.
Guardiola’s team is scheduled to face third-bottom Luton in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
“If a player doesn’t want to play then he’s not going to play, simple,” said the Manchester City manager.
The 3-3 draw against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday marked 429 days and 66 games since Rodri last experienced defeat while playing for Manchester City in any competition.
In Europe’s top five leagues, only three players have made more starts than the Spanish international this season: Arsenal defender William Saliba (42 starts) and two goalkeepers.
Rodri has been absent from four domestic games due to suspension this season, during which City suffered defeat in all four matches.
“Take a look at our games and then you realise. He’s so important for the quality that he gives,” added Guardiola, whose side go into the Premier League weekend third in the table with seven games remaining.
“I have the feeling that the games when he was tired like against Crystal Palace and Madrid, he was better in the second half. He runs more and was more precise in the second half than the first.
“More than the physicality, it is a case of spending mental energy. Playing every three days, three days. Of course he’s tired, playing a lot of minutes.”
‘We’re past a tipping point’
Guardiola emphasizes that the increasingly packed calendar is exerting pressure on players and resulting in a surge of injuries.
Manchester City, who are still actively involved in three competitions, have already contested three matches in April, with five more lined up. Additionally, they could potentially encounter six additional fixtures in May, along with the prospect of a Champions League final on 1 June.
“It’s getting worse and worse and worse,” said Guardiola.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, who will be without 11 players against Everton on Monday, said: “It’s a special season for us because we are suffering a lot.
“It’s very tough when you don’t have the squad fit.”
Ben Dinnery, data analyst and founder of Premier Injuries, says this season is on course to see a 15% rise in injuries that cause a player to miss a match, with the number of days spent out injured set to rise by 30%.
Speaking to the BBC’s Football News Show, Alexander Bielefeld, head of policy at global players’ union Fifpro, said “patience is running out” among players and unions.
“We’re cannibalising the calendar,” he said. “We’re past a tipping point. We have made changes to squad sizes, we have seen changes to substitutions but frankly all of this is not cutting it.”
Chris Hattersley from the Football Physio said the demands placed on players “are basically too high for what the body can tolerate”.
Hattersley added: “Unless they address the fixture schedule then probably it will keep getting worse.
“There is often the Saturday-Tuesday schedule, if you look at the physiological recovery from games, it actually takes three to four days. So players aren’t fully recovered by that Tuesday. If you go through a prolonged, congested period, the risk of injuries goes up.”