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Manchester City are still sweating on the fitness of Rodri amid fears that the influential midfielder will be ruled out for the rest of the season.
The European champion with Spain and Ballon d’Or contender limped off their 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday and was replaced in the 20th minute of the contest at the Etihad after hurting his right knee.
Rodri was pivotal as City won a fourth consecutive Premier League title last campaign and, for club and country, has just one defeat in the last 18 months.
The 28-year-old has undergone scans to determine the extent of the problem and Manchester City are still awaiting confirmation on how long Rodri will be out for, amid conflicting reports on whether the Spaniard has suffered a cruciate ligament injury.
What happened?
Rodri came off midway through the first half after appearing to twist his right knee while Manchester City attacked a corner. The midfielder was being marked by Arsenal’s Thomas Partey and fell to the ground suddenly as the pair jostled for position in the box.
Rodri fell to the ground as his right leg appeared to jar in the turf, and the Spaniard immediately reached for his knee as he rolled onto his back.
Rodri was also involved in a collision with Kai Havertz within seconds of kick-off. Rodri was left floored by the Arsenal attacker and went down holding his face as he looked to block off Havertz’s pressing run and the German international seemingly barged into him.
How long could Rodri be sidelined for?
It depends on the nature of the injury, which is currently unknown. Manchester City are still waiting for confirmation of how long Rodri will be out for, with mananger Pep Guardiola expecting the midfielder will be sidelined for a long time.
But Guardiola raised hopes that Rodri will not be out for the season, the City manager said there are conflicting views on the severity of his knee problem with a final verdict expected on Wednesday.
The worst-case scenario would be an injury to a knee ligament, such as his cruciate, and which could rule the midfielder out of action for a significant part of the season. If the diagnosis is an injury to his ACL or similar, City would be braced for Rodri being ruled out for months, rather than weeks.
Reports from Spain on Monday, including by Marca and ESPN, indicate that Rodri could be ruled out for the rest of the season after initial tests confirmed an ACL injury – but that was before he was had further assessment. The Times also reported that Rodri “could miss the remainder of the season” after the first set of scan results.
Rodri missed the start of the Premier League season with a hamstring injury, which followed a busy season and his involvement with Spain at Euro 2024.
What did Pep Guardiola say?
After Manchester City’s win over Watford in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, Guardiola said: “Still we don’t have the definitive [verdict].
“He will be out for a long time, a while, but there is some opinions that will be less than we expect. Right now still I cannot tell you.
“We are waiting on the last phone calls for him and the doctor on what definitely he has and the surgery he needs. We will find out tomorrow.”
The City manager described Rodri’s mood as “strong, sad and waiting the final decision”.
“Rodri is irreplaceable and the team won’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time,” Guardiola continued.
“Of course it’s a big, big blow for us but I have a duty to find a solution. But it is football, it happens. When one player is irreplaceable we find solutions as a team.
“Last season, we were three months without Erling [Haaland], five months without Kevin [de Bruyne] and we found solutions.”
What games do City have coming up?
City, who lead Arsenal by two points after Sunday’s enthralling draw, travel to Newcastle on Saturday and Rodri is likely to be out until the New Year at the least, missing key league fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa in December.
On paper, the visit to St James’ Park - where City have won 3-2 and drawn 3-3 in the last two seasons in the Premier League - is their hardest fixture until they travel to Brighton and host Tottenham either side of the November International break.
Rodri’s absence may even stretch into another key run from late January through to the end of February, where the champions face Chesea, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham in successive Premier League fixtures.
How important is Rodri?
Very. Since Spain were beaten 2-0 by Scotland in March 2023, the midfielder has lost just one match for club and country - and that was the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United at the end of last season.
City’s defeats at Wolves, Arsenal and Aston Villa in the Premier League last season all came when Rodri was unavailable due to either injury or suspension, and they were unbeaten in the Premier League when he was in the team.
Rodri also started all seven of Spain’s matches as La Roja won Euro 2024 - with the midfielder winning the player of the tournament award. He is considered a strong contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or, along with Real Madrid and Brazil winger Vinicius Jr.
“He’s the best holding midfielder in the world,” Guardiola said. “He is a potential Ballon d’Or winner. I would love for him to win.”
