Rodri's Barcelona Debut Delayed

Rodri’s Barcelona debut is set to be put on ice.

The club’s marquee summer signing skipped full group training on Saturday, the final session before Sunday’s La Liga opener against Elche, casting serious doubt on his availability for the first game of the season.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, the midfielder did not join his teammates on the pitch during the 15 minutes of training open to the media, instead working separately once again. With that, any hope of seeing him thrown straight into competitive action now looks remote.

The pattern has been the same for two days. He trained alone on Friday. He repeated the routine on Saturday. The message is clear: Barcelona are not ready to risk him.

Barring a late twist, Marca reports that his first appearance in a Barcelona shirt will be delayed by a few more days, denying supporters the chance to see their most eye-catching summer recruit from the start of the campaign.

It caps a whirlwind week for Rodri. He arrived on Monday, was presented as a new Barcelona player on Tuesday, and now faces an early lesson in patience just as La Liga kicks off without him.