Manchester City confirm Rodri’s right knee cruciate ligament injury

Manchester City confirmed on Wednesday that Rodri has suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his right knee. The Spanish midfielder was forced off injured in the first half of the match against Arsenal last Sunday, where Guardiola’s men drew 2-2 with Arteta’s men. The footballer travelled to Spain this week to undergo further tests after initial assessments confirmed the ligament tear, according to the English team’s statement. However, the club has not specified how long the recent European champion with Spain will be out.

In the midst of a debate about the calendar and the number of matches that the players have and the possible strike by them, Rodri suffered on Sunday one of the worst footballing injuries in a player’s career and one of the longest. The City midfielder was one of the main players who spoke out about the possible strike, joined by others such as Koundé and Carvajal and the president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas.

Guardiola will have a big problem in midfield without Rodri and the data proves it. With the Spaniard on the pitch, City’s three Premier League defeats last season were in the absence of the midfielder. After Guardiola’s men’s 2-1 Carabao Cup victory over Watford on Tuesday, the Spanish coach said: “Rodri is irreplaceable and the team will not play with the best midfielder in the world for a long time. It is a very hard blow for us.” But he added that he trusts his players and that he will find a solution to his absence.