Manchester City’s Spanish international Rodri, who sustained a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during last Sunday’s match against Arsenal in the English Premier League, will not return this season, announced his coach Pep Guardiola on Friday.
“He underwent surgery this morning, and his season is over; he will be back for the next one,” said the Spanish manager during a press conference regarding the key player for the four-time defending champions.
His absence poses a significant setback for Manchester City. “Everyone knows it will be many months without an important player for us,” Guardiola acknowledged, while also expressing a degree of optimism. “There hasn’t been a single day in recent years that I haven’t felt confident. Of course, we are stronger with him… but that’s how it goes,” he added, also noting the injuries of Dutch defender Nathan Ake (thigh) and Norwegian winger Oscar Bobb (leg), who remain unavailable.
Rodri, who scored in the 2023 Champions League final—a landmark victory for the “Citizens”—has only lost one of his last 84 matches at both club and international levels. Since his arrival in 2019, Manchester City has lost just 11% of the 260 matches in which Rodri has played, according to statistics from Opta. This loss percentage rises to 24% during his absences. Last season, the sky-blue team lost four out of five matches played without the former Atlético Madrid player, a streak that does not include their elimination against Real Madrid in the penalty shootout during the European Cup quarter-finals.
