Manchester City midfielder Rodri will miss the rest of the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed on Friday.
“He had surgery this morning—ACL and some meniscus,” Guardiola said. “So, next season he will be here. This season is over.”
The Spanish international sustained the injury during the first half of last Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League.
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Rodri’s absence is a significant setback to City’s hopes of winning a fifth consecutive Premier League title, as well as their ambitions in the Champions League.
Speaking ahead of City’s Premier League match against Newcastle, Guardiola highlighted Rodri’s importance to the team.
“It’s many months without an important player for us, everybody knows it,” he said, though he remained optimistic. “There’s not been a single day in recent years where I wasn’t confident.
“Of course, we are stronger with him, stronger with Nathan Ake, stronger with Oscar Bobb, and all the other injuries like Kevin (De Bruyne). But it is what it is,” Guardiola added
Rodri, 28, was crucial to City’s Premier League triumph last season, helping the team fend off Arsenal and also winning player of the tournament at Euro 2024, where Spain were victorious.
The former Atletico Madrid player has lost just one match in the past 18 months for both club and country—the FA Cup final against Manchester United—and is considered a potential Ballon d’Or candidate.
City’s win rate with Rodri in the team is 74.1 percent, but without him, it falls to 61.9 percent.
Rodri had already endured a frustrating start to the season, missing City’s first four games, including the Community Shield, due to a hamstring injury.
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