Guido Rodríguez debut scuppered by ill-timed stomach bug
The Argentine midfielder missed his chance to face former club Real Betis after gastroenteritis ruled him out of Valencia's matchday squad at the last minute.
Valencia’s new signing Guido Rodríguez was denied his debut against former club Real Betis after coming down with a nasty bout of gastroenteritis, the club has confirmed.
Last-minute setback
The Argentine midfielder, only unveiled on Thursday following his move from West Ham, had traveled with the squad with plans for him to get his first minutes in the second half. However, this eleventh-hour stomach upset left him completely out of action, forcing manager Corberán to drop him from the matchday squad entirely.
Talk about bad timing! The poor bloke must be feeling proper gutted - quite literally in this case.
Highly anticipated arrival
There was considerable excitement surrounding the potential debut of the former Betis man, particularly as:
- Corberán has been desperate for a positional midfielder since the season began
- The fixture against his former employers added extra spice to the occasion
- Rodríguez enjoyed four and a half successful seasons at Betis before his departure
Short-term solution
Valencia paid a modest fee to secure Rodríguez’s release from West Ham, where his contract was set to expire at the end of the season. Interestingly, the midfielder has only committed to Valencia until June 30th - the same duration he had remaining in London, with the Hammers opting not to trigger an automatic one-year extension clause.
World Cup ambitions
Rodríguez departed Betis in summer 2024 when his contract expired, but never found the same playing time or status in England that he enjoyed in Andalusia. His return to La Liga, despite Valencia’s precarious league position, stems from his desire to secure regular minutes and convince Argentina boss Scaloni to include him in this summer’s World Cup squad.
Corberán had planned to give him some game time against Betis, potentially setting him up for a starting role in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey clash against Athletic Club if his fitness levels were up to scratch. Now it’s a waiting game to see how quickly the midfielder recovers from his unfortunate case of the Barnet fair.