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Correspondent Rob Dawson
Manchester City midfielder Rodri will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing anterior cruciate ligament surgery, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed on Friday.
Rodri suffered a knee injury during the 2-2 draw with Arsenal and traveled to Spain for a test on Monday. At a press conference on Friday, Guardiola confirmed the Spain international had undergone surgery and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
“Surgery this morning, ACL. He’ll be here next season. This season is over. Unfortunately, we got the worst (news) news yet, but this is what happened. We’re here to support his recovery step by step. I will be there for you.” said.
City suffered in Rodri’s absence last season, losing just three Premier League games he missed. Guardiola described the 28-year-old as “irreplaceable” but said he had midfield options including Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan and even defender John Stones.
“There is no player like what he gave us,” Guardiola said. The City manager also revealed that Kevin De Bruyne will miss Saturday’s trip to Newcastle with a thigh injury.
“But the other players can all come together to replace what Rodri has shown since he came to us. We have to do that as a team and find a way to play as many games without the players who are important to us.
“Mateo Kovacic, and I have a few more. Ilkay Gundogan can play there, John Stones can play there. We have alternatives.”
Guardiola also left open the possibility of replacing Rodri in the January transfer window. Last season’s back-up, Kalvin Phillips, moved to Ipswich Town on loan and the City boss said the club may look to sign another midfielder if the opportunity arises after Christmas.
“We’ll see,” he said. “We spoke to (sporting director) Txiki (Begiristain) today and we will see how it goes. We don’t have to decide tomorrow, right? We have time to look at the potential problems we have and we will see.”
