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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has no qualms admitting that the potentially season-ending injury to midfielder Rodri is a huge setback to the club's plans this season.
The Euro 2024 winner went off in the 21st minute of City's last-gasp 2-2 Premier League home draw with Arsenal at the weekend. Rodri seemingly injured his right knee after colliding with his Gunners counterpart Thomas Partey while contesting for a corner.
Guardiola said about Rodri's injury after the 2-1 home win over Watford in the EFL Cup on Tuesday (September 24):
"Still we don’t have the definitive (diagnosis), but he will be out for a long time - a while. But there are some opinions that maybe it will be less than we expected. One doctor says big, big injury, one not as much."
After Rodri left for Spain on Monday for further tests, Guardiola added:
"We are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get. We expect that tonight, tomorrow we will know exactly."
Guardiola has said that he needs to rejig his roster to mitigate the absence of Rodri:
"When you are without the best midfielder in the world for a long time, it is a big blow. But my duty is to find a solution. When a player is irreplaceable, we have to do it as a team, as we did when De Bruyne was out".
In Rodri's absence, goals from Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes powered the Cityzens past Watford and into the EFL Cup fourth round.
How has Rodri fared for Manchester City?
Rodri has been a key player for Manchester City since arriving from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019. In 260 games across competitions, the 28-year-old has contributed 26 goals and 30 assists.
The Spaniard played a pivotal role in the Cityzens' continental treble in 2022-23, bagging four goals and seven assists in 56 games across competitions. Last season, Rodri contributed nine goals and 14 assists in 50 games as City won an unprecedented Premier League four peat.
Having suffered a hamstring injury this summer following his involvement at Euro 2024, Rodri appeared just three times this season before suffering his potentially season-ending injury.
Rodri's importance to City's cause can be gauged by the fact that they have lost just 11% of games with the Spaniard compared to 24% without him (as per the BBC).
