Pep Guardiola’s midfield has recorded another setback as Rodrigo Hernández’s replacement, Nico González suffered an injury which saw him limp off the pitch about ten minutes after the second half.

This was after Man City's 2-0 away win over Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, after Haaland and Bernardo Silva’s goals.

Erling Haaland opened the scoring for Manchester City in the 17th minute, giving them a 1-0 lead. Bernardo Silva then doubled the advantage with a header in the 40th minute, sealing the 2-0 win before halftime.

González has been filling in for fellow Spaniard Rodri, who is currently sidelined by a hamstring injury after missing most of last season with ACL damage.

Mateo Kovacic came on as a substitute for González in the 56th minute, having only recently returned from an Achilles injury that led to the Croatia midfielder being sidelined for the last five months.

Pep Guardiola hopes it isn’t an injury that will sideline him or keep him out for long.

“It was a knock on his foot. Hopefully it’s nothing.”

Guardiola couldn’t hide his excitement about his side’s win, notably the goals by Erling and Bernardo, which made him say, "I'm pleased Erling scored again and pleased Bernardo scored as well, with his head. I remember it was a bit like [Lionel] Messi. It is like a hammer.

“They have a hammer in the neck. They are small but so good with the head contact. I am pleased with the win. They had some good chances, and Villarreal is a top team. The vibe is good, and the first half was really good. We scored in the right moments and we made a good threat."

Their win last night ended a run of five away games without a win in the Champions League.

Guardiola’s City currently holds a record of an unbeaten run in all competitions. It is a healthy position for a team that struggled last season and failed to make the round of 16.

"The difference with last season is that we had [injured] players in the hospital," said Guardiola. "We had 15 or 16 players, and they were getting tired after 70 minutes and needed to play every three games."

Next up is a trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, when Haaland will look to score for the seventh straight Premier League game.

Meanwhile, Man City defensive midfielder and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, was substituted during his side’s clash with Brentford on Sunday, just 23 minutes into the game.

Marking his 6th (sixth) match since his injury comeback, the British footballer had to be sent off after developing discomfort in his hamstring. He signalled to his coach, Pep Guardiola, and the bench to be substituted. He was later seen limping off the pitch when Pep replaced him with his Spanish compatriot Nico González.

Speaking in a post-match interview with Sky Sports at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Rodri noted that "he felt a little bit in the hamstring, but it seems as though it's not that much." Rodri told "I stretched a bit, like in the final of the Euros [when he had to go off injured]. But the most important thing is it's not that big."

Commenting on Rodri's injury, Pep described him as an important player who they can’t risk missing out on for long, hence their swift response to his substitution request. He said the injury isn’t that serious, hence he wouldn’t be gone for long.

"It's muscular, so two weeks or three weeks [out]," said City manager Pep Guardiola after the game.

"Of course, I don't want to lose him even a little because he is such an important player. We tried to take care of him, but it is what it is," the manager said.

This comes after Rodri was sidelined for over 200 days in September last year after undergoing surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after he suffered the issue, which also affected the meniscus, in a Premier League clash with Arsenal.

He returned in late May 2025, where he played his first post-return match on May 20, against Bournemouth in the Premier League and later played all four matches for the Club World Cup cameo.

After initially returning to action at the end of last season, Rodri has been building up his fitness in recent weeks as he bids to return to the form that saw him win the Ballon d'Or last year.

City are used to having to cope in Rodri's absence, and they did so again as Erling Haaland's ninth-minute goal proved enough for them to earn all three points via a 1-0 victory in west London.

Speaking on Friday ahead of the game in west London, City boss Pep Guardiola warned it could take most of the season for Rodri to get back to his best.

Rodri played an hour of Wednesday's 2-2 Champions League draw in Monaco after sitting out City's two previous fixtures, with Guardiola having to carefully manage his star midfielder.

Meanwhile, before Rodri’s return, football injury expert Ben Dinnery cautioned Manchester City against forcing Ballon d'Or winner, Rodri, back to the pitch as he recovers from the knee injury.

Earlier scheduled to make an appearance in June, he joined his teammates in May instead. Given his recent sideline after the hamstring discomfort, it appears Ben’s prediction was nothing far from the truth.

His warning followed Pep's announcement of Rodri's return to training, though not vividly disclosing his comeback before the close of the season, despite being ruled out for the whole season.

Rodri picked up a knee injury in September during a clash with Arsenal.

He told Casino Apps: “We’ve seen Rodri working on the training pitch. Sometimes we have to take what Pep Guardiola says with a pinch of salt. He can be very elusive when responding about a player’s recovery, but if we look at the facts, is a return this season without risk?

Ben Dinnery was not in favour of Rodri's seeming rush return, warning of recurring injury. He said, though Pep hasn't stated the time for the 28-year-old player, he wouldn't be surprised to see Rodri return this season.

On his part, the player is likely to pick up another injury if he is not allowed to recover fully.

He quizzed, "What are Manchester City pushing for? “We’ve seen Rodri working on the training pitch. Sometimes we have to take what Pep Guardiola says with a pinch of salt. He can be very elusive when responding about a player’s recovery, but if we look at the facts, is a return this season without risk?