Manchester City midfielder Rodri will be out for the entire season after having ACL surgery on Friday. He also hurt 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 during the first half of City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday. The team hoped the injury wouldn’t be severe, but tests revealed ACL damage, which can take from six months to a year to heal.
This means the four-time defending English Premier League champion will be without one of its key players for the rest of the 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 considered a strong candidate for the Ballon d’Or, awarded to the best player in the world. His value to Guardiola’s team was clear last season when City lost four of nine games without him, while they lost just one of 50 matches with him playing.
“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 also mentioned last week that top players might consider going on strike due to the increasing number of games they are being asked to play, as new competitions are added to an already busy soccer calendar.
The Champions League has been expanded, meaning there will be two extra games in the new group stage. Next year’s Club World Cup will feature 32 teams for the first time, up from seven, and is scheduled for the offseason for many major leagues in June and July.
