Manchester City's Rodri is likely to miss the remainder of the season after initial tests suggested he may have torn the ACL in his right knee, according to ESPN's Moises Llorens. The injury occurred during City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
Though early reports from ESPN indicated that the injury was season-ending, it has now been clarified that additional tests are pending. The Athletic's David Ornstein also reported that no official timeline for recovery has been provided, but sources close to the situation believe Rodri’s season could be over.
Rodri left the field in the 20th minute, assisted by medical staff, and was replaced by Mateo Kovacic. The injury appeared to be non-contact and happened during a tussle in the penalty area.
The 28-year-old midfielder has been crucial to Pep Guardiola's squad, contributing to Manchester City's success as a Ballon d'Or nominee and the Player of the Tournament in Spain’s Euro 2024 win. Last season, Rodri scored nine goals across all competitions, including the decisive goal in City's 2023 Champions League final victory over Inter Milan.
His absence was felt last season when City dropped three of the four Premier League matches he missed. Since joining Manchester City in the 2019-20 season, Rodri has only been sidelined for eight games due to injury, according to Transfermarkt.com, making this a rare and significant setback in his career.
In a statement last week, Rodri highlighted growing concerns among players over the increasingly congested football calendar, even suggesting that players are nearing the point of considering a strike. Rodri himself played 58 matches for club and country last season, racking up over 5,000 minutes on the field.
