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Manchester City have suffered a huge blow to their title chances this season, as key midfielder Rodri has been ruled out with a season-ending ACL injury. The 28-year-old fell to the turf in pain during City's clash against Arsenal on September 22 in the Premier League.
Early in the game, Erling Haaland powered the ball past goalkeeper David Raya, opening the scoring for the Cityzens in the ninth minute. In the 21st minute, though, Rodri had to come off for Mateo Kovacic after crashing to the pitch and clutching his leg in agony.
The midfielder spent only 16 minutes playing, which was a notable loss for Manchester City, who struggled after he went off. Arsenal equalized moments later, before leading through Gabriel Magalhaes on the cusp of half-time. A red card for Leandro Trossard put the Gunners on the back foot though, giving City the rest of the game to fight for the equalizer, which they got through John Stones.
A report from ESPN has revealed that Rodri will no longer partake in Manchester City's campaigns this season. He has been a consistent force in their midfield, helping them win four Premier League titles in a row. He also won the continental treble with the club in the 2022-23 season.
This makes him a massive loss for the Cityzens, with the Spain international reportedly headed to Barcelona to undergo surgery. Time will tell if Rodri's injury is as long-term as the reports have revealed, and when he is expected to return.
Pep Guardiola speaks about Rodri injury that affected Manchester City's clash against Arsenal
After a last-minute goal from John Stones secured a point for Manchester City, manager Pep Guardiola spoke about Rodri and the midfielder's injury situation. However, he could not offer much, as he had yet to speak with the medical personnel at the time (via BBC):
"I don't know yet, I didn't ask the doctors. Rodri is strong. He leaves the pitch in this action because he felt something, otherwise Rodri stays there. He's the best holding midfielder in the world, he is a potential Ballon d'Or winner, I would love for him to win."
"But it happened in the first minutes. These games with Arsenal are like that and we have to handle it. We did it. We did really good things."
Guardiola also conceded that the game might have turned out differently if Rodri had played the entire 90 minutes. The manager may not have his star midfielder for the rest of the season, but he will still gun for the Cityzens' fifth Premier League title in a row.
