Rodri's season has come to an end due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained during Manchester City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, as confirmed by Pep Guardiola. The 28-year-old underwent surgery on his right knee on Friday morning, having been substituted early in the first half of Sunday's match after going down without any challenge, and will now begin his rehabilitation process.
"[There was] good surgery this morning for an ACL and some meniscus or something. Next season he will be here. This season is over," Guardiola stated. "Unfortunately, we got the worst [outcome]. At this level, sometimes it unfortunately happens, and we will be there to support him. Good recovery now, step by step and move forward."
City are set to face Newcastle on Saturday, and the manager is confident he can find a solution for the absence of a player he described as "irreplaceable" in midweek. "What he gives us, we don't have a similar player, but the other players altogether can replace what Rodri has given since he arrived with us," Guardiola said. "We have to do it as a team and we have to find the way to play during a lot of months without an important player. Everybody knows it."
Guardiola was asked if a squad that includes potential replacements such as Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gündogan, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Rico Lewis is more capable of covering for Rodri than in previous years when not all of these players were available. "If we win, yeah," he replied. "If we don't win, it's because we miss Rodri."
"There is not one day in the last years where I was not confident. Of course, we are stronger with him, we are stronger with Nathan Aké and Oscar Bobb and Kevin [De Bruyne]. We know that, we don't want it, but football happens, and it is a pity because it's a long injury – eight or nine months. After it is not 'you have to be ready in one month', because when you have an ACL injury, a year after you have a lot of muscular problems for sure. That is why it is longer. I think Rodri will become his best not after just eight or nine months. We have magnificent players and we will find the solution."
De Bruyne remains out of action with a muscular problem, Guardiola confirmed.
