Manchester City midfielder Rodri is facing an extended stay on the sidelines after sources told ESPN that the Spaniard has suffered an ACL in his right knee following Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
The player is now expected to miss the remainder of the season which is a major blow to Manchester City’s quest to win their eighth Premier League title in nine seasons, and another Champions League trophy. Although Kevin de Bruyne may be considered the team’s most important midfielder, it’s actually Rodri who could be thought of as the most important cog in the machine. In fact, since the Spaniard joined Manchester City in 2019, 41% of all their losses in the league came when Rodri was not in the side. However, Rodri has not played the first three games of the new 2024/25 Premier League season, in which Man City won all three.
Initial scan reports on Monday revealed signs of an ACL injury, and the player is now set to travel to Barcelona to undergo surgery. The Spaniard was substituted in the 21st minute of their clash against Arsenal after he went down holding his knee following a coming together with Thomas Partey.
The highly-touted affair vs Arsenal on Sunday was considered an early title-deciding match. Manchester City struck first blood, with a cool Erling Haaland finish after new arrival Savinho fed him a perfect through ball. The new Arsenal signing Riccardo Calafiori equalized in the 22nd minute with what many are considering to be the goal of the season (so far). Arsenal defender Gabriel made it 2-1 just before halftime, but the match was marred by a controversial red card to Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard, who received a second yellow card after kicking the ball away.
After going a man down, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta set up his side to defend their lead for the remainder of the second half, not registering a single shot on target for the rest of the game. It almost worked — until a last-minute equalizer from Man City’s John Stones crushed Arsenal hearts, and both teams had to split the points after the game ended 2-2.
Manchester City is considered to be the title favorites, although with this fresh injury, other title contenders such as Arsenal and Liverpool will surely be buoyed by one of City’s most important players being absent for the remainder of the season.
Rodri himself was vital in securing Manchester City’s first-ever Champions League trophy, scoring in the 2023 Final where they beat Inter Milan, ultimately winning the treble (alongside the Premier League and FA Cup trophies). He is one of the few players that Manchester City don’t have a like-for-like replacement for, suggesting they may dip their toes in the January transfer window to secure a suitable replacement.
The injury came after Rodri himself told the press last week that the players were ‘close’ to striking due to the unprecedented increase of games being played per season, suggesting that player injuries were a result of the higher workload. He joined an increasingly loud chorus of players and managers expressing similar sentiments, with fellow teammate Bernardo Silva and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker also taking to the press to denounce the number of games being played.
Whether or not Man City can manage the workload without their talisman and if they will pursue a replacement remains to be seen. In the meantime, it appears Mateo Kovacic, Rico Lewis, and Bernardo Silva will take responsibility in the midfield to reinforce the void left by Rodri.
For Rodri himself, his odds of winning the Balon d’Or this season are all but squashed, finishing as a runner-up in 2023.
