Rodri injury confirmed as Man City learn extent of major blow

Rodri has suffered a “knee ligament injury” in a major blow to Manchester City, amid fears he could be sidelined for the rest of the season.

The Spain midfielder and Ballon d’Or contender limped off in the 20th minute of the Premier League champion’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday after twisting his right knee.

Subsequent scans revealed ligament damage, as confirmed by Manchester City in a statement. However, the full extent of the injury remains unclear.

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“Manchester City can confirm that Rodri has suffered a ligament injury to his right knee,” the club said.

“The midfielder travelled to Spain to seek specialist consultation this week, following initial tests in Manchester.

“Assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the injury and expected prognosis.”

The 28-year-old is a pivotal presence in Pep Guardiola’s side and the manager said on Tuesday night that the Euro 2024 winner is “irreplaceable” as he confirmed the midfielder won’t play for a “long, long time”.

Rodri’s serious injury comes just days after he warned that players could go on strike because they are overworked and the fixture schedule is increasing.

He made 63 appearances for club and country last season, and missed the start of the current campaign after suffering a hamstring injury in Spain’s Euro 2024 final victory over England in July.

Rodri scored the goal that won Manchester City the Champions League in 2023 and he has lost just one game for the club in 18 months - the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United at the end of last season.

Guardiola called him the “best holding midfielder in the world” and a “potential Ballon d’Or winner” after he was named player of the tournament for helping lead Spain to Euro 2024 glory in the summer.

All three of Manchester City’s defeats in the Premier League last season - away to Wolves, Arsenal and Aston Villa - came when Rodri was unavailable due to injury or suspension and Guardiola has at times struggled to replace him.

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.

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.

The Spaniard was forced off Sunday’s fractious clash with last season’s title rivals Arsenal following an innocuous looking tangle with Partey in the penalty area, in which he fell to the ground after his right leg appeared to jar in the turf.

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Rodri was also involved in a collision with Kai Havertz within seconds of kick-off, and appeared unhappy with the Arsenal forward after the German international seemingly barged into him as he looked to press the ball.

Rodri’s importance in City’s fourth Premier League title in a row and his key part in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph - where he won the Golden Ball for player of the tournament - has seen the 28-year-old emerge as a contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or.

He would be the first defensive midfielder to ever win football’s most prestigious individual prize, with Real Madrid and Brazil winger Vinicius Jr also a strong contender for his form in leading the club to a 15th Champions League title.

“Rodri is irreplaceable and the team won’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time,” Guardiola said on Tuesday after City’s win over Watford in the Carabao Cup.

“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.”