It is still unclear exactly what knee injury Rodri has sustained. However, Pep Guardiola gave an update on Tuesday evening that Manchester City’s fans will not like.
Manchester City’s season may have taken a decisive turn on Sunday. Not because the reigning champions managed to get a 2-2 draw against title contenders Arsenal at the death, but because Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in the Premier League top game. And the Spaniard, as coach Pep Guardiola once again stated on Tuesday evening, is simply “irreplaceable”.
Although a final diagnosis is still pending more than 48 hours later, it is now clear that Rodri faces a break lasting several months. “He will be out for a long time,” Guardiola explained after the 2-1 win against Watford in the third round of the League Cup, “but perhaps less time than we expected.”
He is still waiting for calls from the player and the doctors “to find out exactly what he has and what kind of operation he needs,” said the Catalan. “I think we’ll know tonight or tomorrow.” One doctor is talking about a “big, serious injury, another not so much.” The club itself provided information on Wednesday, at least a “knee ligament injury,” but the investigation is still ongoing. Therefore, there is no prognosis for the downtime yet.
Guardiola: “We will still play a good season”
“It’s obviously a big setback for us to play without the best midfielder in the world for a long time,” admitted Guardiola, but: “This is football, and it’s my job to find a solution. We will still play a good season – I trust my players.”
This includes, in particular, former captain Ilkay Gündogan, who ManCity brought back from Barcelona at short notice and unexpectedly as an additional option for central midfield in the final stages of the summer transfer window.
