Manchester City will be without Rodri for the rest of the season after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Arsenal last Sunday; "This season is over [for him]," said Pep Guardiola
Friday 27 September 2024 15:33, UK
Rodri will miss the whole season through injury, Man City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed.
The midfielder has undergone surgery after injuring his knee in last Sunday's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League.
"He had surgery this morning, ACL and some meniscus," Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday ahead of City's trip to Newcastle.
"Next season he will be here. This season is over [for him]. It is what it is.
"Unfortunately, we got the worst [news] but it is what it is at this level. Sometimes, unfortunately, it happens. We are just there to support him and [help him make a] good recovery, step by step, and move forward.
"What he gives us, we don't have a similar player but the other players altogether can replace what Rodri has given since arriving here with us.
"We will have to do it as a team and find a way to play a lot of matches without an important player for us.
"We are stronger with him and stronger with [Nathan] Ake and [Oscar] Bobb and Kevin [De Bruyne], but that is what it is. We don't want it but it is football.
"As a club we have magnificent players and we will find a solution."
Fellow midfielder De Bruyne will also miss Saturday's game at Newcastle.
Rodri's absence will leave a huge void, with the champions having not lost any of their last 48 Premier League matches in which he has featured.
He has been a vital component of four title-winning sides since joining the club in 2019. He scored the winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final and is one of the leading contenders to win this year's Ballon d'Or award after helping Spain to Euro 2024 success.
Guardiola said: "It's a lot of months without an important player for us, everybody knows it."
Only last week Rodri joined a host of high-profile players to speak out about the ever-increasing fixture workload facing the game's top stars, and said he thought players could be "close" to striking because of the overloaded calendar.
Guardiola said Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic and John Stones can all step into Rodri's role, but did not rule reinforcing his defensive midfield options when the transfer market reopens in January.
He added: "We will talk, we will see what is going on. We have time to see."
Rodri's injury has led to speculation that City could recall Kalvin Phillips early from his season-long loan spell at Ipswich.
But speaking ahead of his side's clash with Aston Villa, live on Sky Sports on Sunday, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna indicated he thinks it's unlikely Phillips will head back to the Etihad Stadium early.
"The honest answer is I've not checked. I don't think there is (a recall clause), but I can't tell you 100 per cent.
"I know the plan from our side, from his side, from Man City's side is that he has a season with us and gets back to playing regularly.
"It's about him helping our team and us helping him build back to a good place in his career. I'm sure that remains the plan on all sides."
Finding a solution to Rodri's absence could now define the Manchester City's Premier League season.
But how will Pep Guardiola seek to do that? Some will suggest the January transfer window but whether a replacement even exists is debatable. More importantly, with 14 Premier League games to play before then, City cannot wait that long to fix this.
The answers must come from within. Players must step up, Guardiola must rethink things. And there are options.
Sky Sports' Zinny Boswell:
For all the debate and deliberation over the flashpoints in Sunday's title showdown at the Etihad, Rodri's injury could prove to be the incident that has the most repercussions for the rest of the season.
Rodri has arguably been City's most influential figure in the second half of Pep Guardiola's reign.
City have not lost a Premier League game that he has started since February 2023. Four of the 11 matches he has missed have resulted in defeat.
The champions now have to cope without him for a prolonged spell for the first time since he joined from Atletico Madrid in 2019.
Guardiola has options to replace Rodri, with Mateo Kovacic the player who tends to deputise at the base of midfield, but City are undoubtedly weaker without the 28-year-old.
It is no coincidence that City have won four titles in a row with Rodri an almost ever-present. He is the heartbeat of the team.
Guardiola said his side "are ready to go into battle" against a tough opponent at St James' Park, with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe insisting his side need to play with ambition and freedom against City in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off.
"There's a variety of things [we need to do], but we have to carry a threat" Howe said.
"We have to be an attacking force and brave with the ball as well.
"Forgetting their qualities as well, which is hard because they're an amazing team, but just looking at us, we have to be that attacking force and not forgetting what we're good at which is crucial.
"Everyone will be highly motivated for the match, the crowd will be really there for us if we can inspire them. And we need to make it as difficult as we can for our opponents and we need to be at our very best.
Newcastle (A) - Premier League - Saturday September 28
Slovan Bratislava (A) - Champions League - Tuesday October 1
Fulham (H) - Premier League - Saturday October 5
Wolves (A) - Premier League - Sunday October 20, live on Sky Sports
Sparta Prague (H) - Champions League - Wednesday October 23
Southampton (H) - Premier League - Saturday October 26
Bournemouth (A) - Premier League - Saturday November 2
Sporting Lisbon (A) - Champions League - Tuesday November 5
Brighton (A) - Premier League - Saturday November 9, live on Sky Sports
Tottenham (H) - Premier League - Saturday November 23, live on Sky Sports
Feyenoord (H) - Champions League - Tuesday November 26
Liverpool (A) - Premier League - Sunday December 1, live on Sky Sports
Nottingham Forest (H) - Premier League - Wednesday December 4
Crystal Palace (A) - Premier League - Saturday December 7
Juventus (A) - Champions League - Wednesday December 11
Manchester United (H) - Premier League - Saturday December 14
Aston Villa (A) - Premier League - Saturday December 21
Everton (H) - Premier League - Thursday December 26
Leicester City (A) - Premier League - Sunday December 29
