Manchester City will be without midfielder Rodri for the rest of the 2024-25 season with the Spaniard suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, its manager Pep Guardiola confirmed on Friday.
“Unfortunately Rodri got the worst outcome. He got surgery this morning, ACL and some meniscus. This season is over for Rodri. Next season, he will be here,” Guardiola told reporters.
Rodri suffered an injury early on in the Premier League clash against Arsenal on September 22 and was substituted in the 21st minute, with the club later confirming his ligament injury.
“If we win, yeah [we can compete without Rodri]. If we don’t win, it’s because we miss Rodri. There is not one day in the last years that I was not confident [of coping without Rodri]. Of course, we are stronger with him, stronger with Nathan Ake, we are stronger with Oscar Bobb, with Kevin [De Bruyne]... But it is what it is,” Guardiola sighed.
Having joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2019, Rodri has been a crucial pivot in the middle of the park for Guardiola’s side, playing 260 matches, scoring 26 times and assisting 30 more.
At the 2024 European Championship, he was one of Spain’s most important players as La Roja clinched the title, beating England in the final. Rodri was adjudged the player of the tournament.
While Spain will look at Martin Zubimendi as a potential replacement for the 28-year-old, in the UEFA Nations League matches, City’s manager said that he will have to scratch his head to find a suitable substitute for the Spaniard.
“We don’t have a similar player, but the other players all together can replace what Rodri has given since he arrived to us,” Guardiola added. “We have to do it as a team and we have to find a way to play a lot of months without an important player for us.”
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