Aside from long-term casualty Rodri, the likes of John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic have all had either lengthy absences or more than one period out of action.
The group have experienced little but continual success in recent years – with the club having won four straight Premier Leaguer titles and the treble in 2023 – but Guardiola feels the demands of the calendar now necessitate a refresh.
At 33 and out of contract in the summer, it does seem the City career of the Belgium playmaker – one of the club’s greatest players of all time – could be winding down.
City have endured a frustrating campaign by their lofty standards, having fallen well off the pace in the Premier League title race and exited the Champions League before the last-16 stage.
“We have to sit down with the doctors, with the physios, with the players, with the agents and be clear that some of them cannot sustain, every month or two months, playing every three, four days.
