Pep Guardiola confirms that Manchester City midfielder Rodri will be out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament.
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The 28-year-old races concern in the early minutes of Sunday's 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday last week following a collision with Thomas Partey. Speaking at his news conference on Friday, Guardiola confirmed the Spain international has now had an operation and will be sidelined for the rest of the campaign.
"Surgery this morning, ACL. Next season he will be here. This season is over. Unfortunately, we got the worst [news], but these things happen. We will be there to support him in his recovery step-by-step."
Guardiola further speaks about how hard it is to replace the midfielder Rodri but claims he has options in midfield, including Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gündogan, and even defender John Stones.
"What he gives us, we don't have a similar player but the other players altogether can replace what Rodri has given since arriving here with us. "We will have to do it as a team and find a way to play a lot of matches without an important player for us. "We are stronger with him and stronger with [Nathan] Ake and [Oscar] Bobb and Kevin [De Bruyne], but that is what it is. We don't want it but it is football. "As a club we have magnificent players and we will find a solution."
Rodri's injury crisis could be a huge blow for the Citizens, with the champions having not lost any of their last 48 Premier League matches in which he has featured. Last season, four of City's five losses in all competition came when Rodri was missing through either suspension or injury. The midfielder is among the contenders for the 2024 Ballon d'Or award.
Manchester City's next game will be a clash against Newcastle United in an early Premier League kickoff on Saturday at St James Park in Newcastle. Unfortunately, fellow midfielder De Bruyne will also miss Saturday's game at Newcastle.
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