Rodri has been ruled out for the remainder of the season by Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City confirmed the Spanish midfielder has successfully undergone surgery.
Rodri suffered ACL and meniscus damage to his knee in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
“He had surgery this morning,” Guardiola said. “ACL and some meniscus. So, next season he will be here. This season is over [for him].
“Unfortunately we got the worst news but that is what happened, we will be there to support him and move forward step by step.”
“When you have an ACL injury for nine months, the year after you have muscular problems for sure. I think Rodri will be at his best not just in nine months, but it is what it is, as a club we will find a solution.”
Guardiola then discussed the potential for City to strengthen in January and buy a replacement for Rodri.
“We will see,” Guardiola added. “We talked today with Txiki, we will see what’s going on. We don’t have to decide tomorrow, right? We have time to see the potential problems we will have and after we will see.”
The 28-year-old is a pivotal presence in Pep Guardiola’s side and the manager said on Tuesday night that the Euro 2024 winner is “irreplaceable”.
Rodri’s serious injury came just days after he warned that players could go on strike because they are overworked and the fixture schedule is increasing.
He made 63 appearances for club and country last season, and missed the start of the current campaign after suffering a hamstring injury in Spain’s Euro 2024 final victory over England in July.
Rodri scored the goal that won Manchester City the Champions League in 2023 and he has lost just one game for the club in 18 months – the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United at the end of last season.
Guardiola called him the “best holding midfielder in the world” and a “potential Ballon d’Or winner” after he was named player of the tournament for helping lead Spain to Euro 2024 glory in the summer.
All three of Manchester City’s defeats in the Premier League last season – away to Wolves, Arsenal and Aston Villa – came when Rodri was unavailable due to injury or suspension and Guardiola has at times struggled to replace him.
City, who lead Arsenal by two points after Sunday’s enthralling draw, travel to Newcastle on Saturday and Rodri is likely to be out until the New Year at the least, missing key league fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa in December.
Rodri’s absence may even stretch into another key run from late January through to the end of February, where the champions face Chesea, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham in successive Premier League fixtures.
The Spaniard was forced off Sunday’s fractious clash with last season’s title rivals Arsenal following an innocuous looking tangle with Partey in the penalty area, in which he fell to the ground after his right leg appeared to jar in the turf.
Rodri was also involved in a collision with Kai Havertz within seconds of kick-off, and appeared unhappy with the Arsenal forward after the German international seemingly barged into him as he looked to press the ball.
Rodri’s importance in City’s fourth Premier League title in a row and his key part in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph – where he won the Golden Ball for player of the tournament – has seen the 28-year-old emerge as a contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
He would be the first defensive midfielder to ever win football’s most prestigious individual prize, with Real Madrid and Brazil winger Vinicius Jr also a strong contender for his form in leading the club to a 15th Champions League title.
“Rodri is irreplaceable and the team won’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time,” Guardiola said on Tuesday after City’s win over Watford in the Carabao Cup.
“Of course it’s a big, big blow for us but I have a duty to find a solution. But it is football, it happens. When one player is irreplaceable we find solutions as a team.
“Last season, we were three months without Erling [Haaland], five months without Kevin [de Bruyne] and we found solutions.”