Rodri suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday and may miss the rest of the season as a result, handing the champions a serious blow in their bid to win a fifth successive Premier League crown.
The 28-year-old was forced off after 21 minutes at the Etihad Stadium having gone down under minimal contact following a challenge by Thomas Partey inside the Arsenal area but in clear agony. City await further tests but fear the worst in regards to the availability of one of Pep Guardiola’s most important and influential players.
As the manager said of the midfielder – who he rates as the best No 6 in the world – in March: “He is irreplaceable right now.”
Guardiola has struggled to find a deputy for Rodri. Kalvin Phillips was signed from Leeds in July 2022 to offer competition to the Spain international but was ultimately judged not to be of the requisite standard. The 28-year-old was loaned to West Ham for the second half of last season and is on loan to Ipswich Town for this campaign.
Mateo Kovacic, who replaced Rodri against Arsenal, is far more trusted by Guardiola, but the Croatian is a different player to City’s No 16, and, as such, would mean the Catalan having to adjust how he sets his team up in the long term.
Rodri was suspended for three games at the start of last season and City lost them all. Their only defeat in regulation time during the campaign with him in the side came against Manchester United in May’s FA Cup final.
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