Rodri has jetted out to New Orleans for the Superbowl this weekend, with Manchester City sending a physio with him to continue his recovery from his ACL injury.

Rodri has been absent since September and is not expected to play again this season - but the Ballon d'Or winner has made his intentions clear about returning for the end of the campaign and possibly playing a part in the Club World Cup in June.

Pep Guardiola initially said last week that he did not want Rodri to come back early and risk his longer-term fitness into next season. However, he then told Rodri that he could return when he felt ready, adding to the confusion over his recovery timeframe.

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This weekend, City posted a video of Rodri in Louisiana having travelled to the US to watch the Superbowl clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

"I'm happy to be here for the Superbowl weekend but the most important thing is to recover myself so first of all I have a training session today to massage, recover after a long trip."

The Blues posted a video of that training session, which took place at the training centre of the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team, which showed Rodri putting pressure on his knee with a City physio and being put through his paces in the gym.

Watch the video below:

He also took part in promotional activities and interviews while in the USA having been around the City first team squad for recent games as his recovery continues.

Last week, Guardiola said: "The most important thing for him is to recover well, he is not a teenager but he still has years to play and it's going to happen if he recovers well.

"To come back for a few weeks and then have a setback for next season is not intelligent. The body is the body and recovery needs its own time but it's going really well and step by step we'll see."

The manager then offered a clarification, saying: “In my mind, it’s next season for Rodri but maybe he comes back earlier, that would be good for us.”