Rodri injury: Man City midfielder ‘out for a long, long time’ and needs surgery after knee injury suffered against Arsenal | Football News

Manchester City midfielder Rodri will be out for a “very, very long time” and will require surgery, manager Pep Guardiola has said.

The influential Spain international was injured during the champions’ 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

The 28-year-old player is currently in Barcelona for tests, but a full diagnosis is not yet available.

There were reports he would miss the rest of the reason, but while the problem is clearly serious, Guardiola remains hopeful it will not be that bad.

The city manager said: “We still don’t have a definitive answer. He’s going to be out for a long time, a while, but there are opinions that it might be less than we expect.

“Unfortunately he got injured. At this point I still can’t tell you (how long) because we’re waiting for the final calls from him and the doctors to know exactly what he has and what kind of surgery he needs to have.”

Guardiola: Major setback due to loss of ‘irreplaceable’ Rodri

Guardiola admits Rodri leaves a big void.

He said: “We don’t want this, but we will still have a good season. I have a lot of confidence in my players, I have a duty to find a solution.

“Rodri is irreplaceable and the team will not be playing with the best midfielder in the world for a long time. Of course it is a big, big blow for us.

“But it’s football, it happened, and it’s my duty to find a solution, to be competitive as we have been for years.”

Rodri was sent off in the first half of the equaliser against Arsenal after falling to the ground without making contact and appeared to be in tears before leaving the pitch.

City salvaged a draw against 10-man Arsenal thanks to a stoppage-time goal from John Stones to maintain their two-point lead over the Gunners at the top of the table.

Rodri made his first Premier League start of the season as City got their workload under control after winning Euro 2024 with Spain in the summer.

According to FIFPRO, he had only 22 rest days last season due to commitments to club and country.

Last week, Rodri raised the possibility that players would go on strike due to the increasing demand for them as the match schedule lengthens.

“I think we are close to that. I think if you ask a player, he will say the same thing. It is not Rodri’s opinion or something like that. I think it is the general opinion of the players.

“I don’t know what will happen, but it worries us because we are the ones who suffer.”

How Rodri’s injury could affect title race

Sky Sports’ Zinny Boswell:

Despite all the discussions and deliberations over the critical points in Sunday’s title race, Rodri’s injury could well be the incident with the most consequences for the rest of the season.

Rodri was arguably the most influential player for City in the second half of Pep Guardiola’s reign.

City have not lost a Premier League game in which he has started since February 2023, with four of the 11 games he has missed ending in defeat.

The national champions will now have to do without him for an extended period of time for the first time since his transfer from Atlético Madrid in 2019.

Guardiola has options to replace Rodri, with Mateo Kovacic the player who usually plays in 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 almost ever present. He is the heartbeat of the team.

Man City’s remaining fixtures in 2024

Newcastle (A) – Premier League – Saturday 28 September

Slovan Bratislava (A) – Champions League – Tuesday October 1

Fulham (home) – Premier League – Saturday 5 October

Wolves (A) – Premier League – Sunday 20 October, live on Sky Sport

Sparta Prague (H) – Champions League – Wednesday October 23

Southampton (home) – Premier League – Saturday 26 October

Bournemouth (A) – Premier League – Saturday 2 November

Sporting Lisbon (A) – Champions League – Tuesday, November 5

Brighton (A) – Premier League – Saturday 9 November, live on Sky Sport

Tottenham (home) – Premier League – Saturday 23 November, live on Sky Sport

Feyenoord (H) – Champions League – Tuesday, November 26

Liverpool (away) – Premier League – Sunday 1 December, live on Sky Sport

Nottingham Forest (H) – Premier League – Wednesday 4 December

Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League – Saturday 7 December

Juventus (away) – Champions League – Wednesday 11 December

Manchester United (home) – Premier League – Saturday 14 December

Aston Villa (A) – Premier League – Saturday 21 December

Everton (home) – Premier League – Thursday 26 December

Leicester City (A) – Premier League – Sunday 29 December