Manchester City confirm ligament damage for Rodri | OneFootball

Manchester City have confirmed that Rodri has sustained ligament damage to his right knee.

Although there has been no official confirmation from the reigning champions, reports suggest that the injury could well put Rodri out for the remainder of the season.

The 28-year-old was forced off after 21 minutes of the champions’ pulsating 2-2 draw with Arsenal, having gone down after contact from defender Thomas Partey.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “Manchester City FC can confirm that Rodri has suffered a ligament injury to his right knee

“The injury was sustained during the first half of this weekend’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League.

“The midfielder travelled to Spain to seek specialist consultation this week, following initial tests in Manchester.

“Assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the injury and expected prognosis.”

The Spanish midfielder, who is among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or this year, was making only his second start of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in his country’s EURO 2024 final win against England.

He has also been at the forefront of the discussion that there are too many games in the football calendar, which is now only likely to increase with the news of his knee injury.

Rodri’s long-term absence is an enormous blow to Pep Guardiola, who dubbed the player “irreplaceable” back in March. City’s hopes of winning a fifth Premier League title in a row, as well as a second Champions League crown, earned another hit as well.

Possible replacements for City’s key midfielder include Mateo Kovačić (who came on for him against Arsenal), İlkay Gündoğan and Matheus Nunes.