Manchester City fear Rodri could miss the remainder of the season with a serious knee injury in a major blow to their Premier League title defence.
Pep Guardiola’s metronome was forced off 21 minutes into Sunday’s tempestuous 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
Rodri fell into a heap clutching his right knee after falling during a run alongside Thomas Partey to meet a corner and was helped off the pitch by medical staff.
Tests undertaken on Monday uncovered the severity of the injury and a further round of examinations are expected to confirm that Rodri is set for months on the sidelines.
The Spain international will visit Dr Ramon Cugat in Barcelona for treatment and his absence will be acutely felt by Guardiola, who has built his foundations around the central midfielder.
Man City star Rodri could be set to miss ‘the remainder of the season’ after suffering a ‘cruciate ligament injury’
Rodri (centre) limped off during City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon
The midfielder’s absence could prove to be a huge blow for Man City considering his influence in the team
Rodri – a favourite to win the Ballon d’Or – has not been involved in a losing team in the league since February 2023, with all three of City’s defeats last season coming when the 28-year-old was absent.
Sunday was Rodri’s first start of the campaign after an extended summer break nursing an injury picked up in the European Championship final win over England.
Mateo Kovacic replaced Rodri during the Arsenal draw and will be in line to assume his roles at the base of midfield, with Ilkay Gundogan, Rico Lewis and Bernardo Silva all utilised in that position.
City – who had looked at Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes – were not planning to dip into the transfer market before Gundogan’s return became a viable option on a free transfer.
Guardiola has the option of reverting to a two-man midfield pairing in the interim for extra protection, with City going to St James’ Park for the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.
They head there after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Watford still feeling the effects of the dramatic events of the weekend. John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser sparked wild scenes, with players coming to blows and City stars bemoaning Arsenal’s ‘dirty’ gamesmanship.
The game ended with nine yellow cards, including two handed to the dismissed Leandro Trossard, with Erling Haaland furious at Arteta and Gabriel Jesus in the immediate aftermath of full time. Haaland told Arteta to ‘be humble’ and had an expletive-laden exchange with Jesus, whom he labelled ‘a clown’.
Minutes before, a fired-up Haaland had thrown a ball at Gabriel’s head in response to Stones’ late goal. VAR reviewed the incident and deemed no action was necessary, with the Norwegian not facing any retrospective punishment from the FA.
‘I don’t even remember this [incident],’ Gabriel said. ‘It’s normal, they were happy after scoring in the last minute. It’s a battle, a war, so it’s normal to have provocative acts in football, it’s part of the game. Now it’s over and we are waiting for them at our ground’.
Haaland will miss the Watford game after landing in Norway last night. The striker is understood to be attending the funeral of family friend Ivar Eggja, who passed away a fortnight ago.
Rather incredibly, City lost three league games last season when Rodri had been absent through suspension
Bernardo Silva had stated Rodri (pictured) had left the Etihad Stadium ‘in a bad way’ on Sunday
Many have hailed Rodri for his brilliance and influence helping guide City to their last four league titles
City defender Manuel Akanji added to the chorus of complaints about Arsenal’s style by claiming that they constantly look for ‘drama’.
‘Always when we play against them, that’s what they’re looking for – the drama,’ Akanji said. ‘Going hard in the duels, defending with 11 players in their own box and then trying to score from set pieces.
‘Players go on the floor to get up, sprint back again, go on the floor again. I don’t think there are many better than them at it in Europe. But in the end, we always win the title and I don’t think it will be different this year.’
Guardiola admitted that remaining calm is difficult in those circumstances but told his players to block out external factors.
‘The behaviours we cannot control, don’t go away from what is important: the game,’ Guardiola said. ‘We are an honest team. We go there and try to do our best.
‘Focus on the game and defend yourself. Focus on the game, focus on what we have to do. Try to do what we’ve done for many, many years. Defend yourself, that is all I ask. I know what the opponents are going to do.
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‘I lost a [Champions League] semi-final against Inter [in 2010] at home 10 against 11, and we were not able to come back because there were always problems.
‘It’s difficult to manage, which is why you have to be calm. Don’t make fouls. Give rhythm to their game as little as possible. I understand, 10 against 11, Raya takes his time, the long balls. Sometimes cramp, another cramp. But stay in the game. It’s difficult. We did it really well.’