Rodri Set to Miss Remainder of Season Following ACL Surgery

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been confirmed to miss the remainder of the season due to an ACL tear and meniscus damage, as stated by manager Pep Guardiola on Friday.

Guardiola clarified the situation surrounding Rodri's injury, which was initially reported by ESPN as being season-ending. The report later suggested that further tests were needed to establish a definitive prognosis. “He had surgery this morning, ACL and some meniscus, we think,” Guardiola told reporters, including The Athletic's Sam Lee. “Next season, he will be with us. This season is over. Unfortunately, we got the worst news, but that is what happened. We will be there to support him and move forward step by step.”

The injury occurred in the 20th minute of Sunday's 2-2 draw against Arsenal when Rodri fell to the ground with what appeared to be a non-contact injury. The 28-year-old was replaced by Mateo Kovacic, who is expected to receive more playing time in Rodri's absence.

Guardiola noted that he has already discussed potential January signings with City's director of football, Txiki Begiristain. BBC Sport has highlighted Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka, Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, and Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong as possible midseason recruits. Zubimendi previously turned down a summer transfer to Liverpool to remain at Real Sociedad.

“We will see,” Guardiola said. “We talked today with Txiki; we will see what's going on. We don't have to decide tomorrow, right? We have time to see the potential problems we will have, and after, we will see.”

Rodri is regarded as one of the best holding midfielders in the sport, contributing significantly to Manchester City's success in securing their fourth consecutive Premier League title in May. He also played a pivotal role in Spain's Euro 2024 victory, being named the tournament's best player. Last season, he scored the winning goal for City in the 2023 Champions League final against Inter Milan and found the net another nine times in all competitions.

Guardiola admitted after City's 2-1 win over Watford in the League Cup on Tuesday that Rodri is “irreplaceable.” He stated, “When a team doesn't play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time, of course, it is a big blow, but my duty is to find a solution so that we remain competitive as we have been for many years.”

City's Premier League win rate without Rodri drops to 61.9% compared to 74.1% with him, according to Agence France-Presse. Last season, City lost three of the four Premier League matches they played without Rodri.

Rodri had never suffered a significant injury in his career before this incident and had missed only eight games due to injury since the start of the 2019-20 season, as reported by transfermarkt.com.