MANCHESTER – Manchester City midfielder Rodri will miss the rest of the season after undergoing ACL surgery on Friday.
The Spain international also injured his meniscus.
“This season is over (for him). We got the worst (news possible) but it is what it is,” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “We are there to support him in a good recovery, step by step and move forward.”
Rodri injured his right knee on Sunday in the first half of City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal.
City hoped the injury would not be as bad as first feared, but tests this week confirmed ACL damage, which can take from six months to a year to recover from.
It meant the four-time defending English Premier League champion will be without one of its most influential players for the remainder of this campaign.
“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 said. “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.”
Rodri is among the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world. His importance to Guardiola’s team was underlined last term when City lost four of nine games without the inspirational midfielder in all competitions. By comparison, City lost just one of 50 games with him in the team.
“He is the best holding midfielder in the world. I would say he is a potential Ballon d’Or winner,” Guardiola said last week.
Rodri warned last week that top players could go on strike because of the number of games they are being asked to play as new competitions are introduced to an already-packed soccer calendar and matches are added to existing tournaments.
The Champions League has been expanded so there are two more games in the new-look group stage. Next year’s Club World Cup will be a 32-team event for the first time, up from seven. It is slated for the offseason for many major leagues in June-July.
The revamps have prompted a legal challenge from players’ unions.
On Tuesday, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said the risk of more injuries to top players was “almost unavoidable” because of the increased demands.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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