Pep Guardiola confirms Man City injury nightmare outcome to give Arsenal huge title boost

The Manchester City boss has given an update on the Spanish midfielder after he hobbled off the pitch during the recent 2-2 draw with Arsenal

Pep Guardiola's worst nightmare has become a reality after the Manchester City boss confirmed Rodri had underwent surgery on an ACL injury he picked up in the recent 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

The midfield general was forced off after just 20 minutes, landing awkwardly on his right knee when battling Thomas Partey at a corner. Although there was immediate cause for concern, as the Spanish midfielder writhed in pain on the floor, City had hoped the injury would not be as bad as they first thought.

The reigning Premier League champions have had to wait before finding out the full extent of the injury, with City confirming he'd suffered from knee ligament damage earlier this week.

However, Guardiola has delivered a hammer blow at his recent pre-match press conference ahead of their trip to Newcastle this weekend. The City boss revealed the Spanish midfielder will miss the rest of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, handing Arsenal a huge boost in the title race..

"Next season he will be here. This season is over," Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News. "It is what it is at that level. We are here to support him. Good recovery, step by step and we move forward.

"What he gives us we don't have a similar player but all the players together can replace what Rodri has or has given us since arriving to us. We have to find a way to play a lot of months without an important player for us - everybody knows it. We want a speedy recovery for next season."

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Since arriving at City in 2019, Guardiola's side have won 74 per cent of games with Rodri in the starting XI, losing just 11 per cent of those fixtures. Compare that to 64 per cent of games won and 24 per cent lost when Rodri has been absent - an important statistic Arsenal will hope to make full advantage of.

The City boss has already acknowledged the Spanish midfielder is irreplaceable, telling reporters earlier this week: "“I expect a lot from my players and I have a duty to find a solution - even if Rodri is irreplaceable. When a team doesn’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time, it is a big blow.

“But it’s football. It happens. And it is my duty to find a solution, be competitive as we have been for many, many years and be there, be a problem for our opponents.

“Yes, he’s irreplaceable. But I will find a solution. There is an alternative, we will do it. When you have one player who is irreplaceable, as a team we have to find a solution. Last season, we were three months without Erling, five months without Kevin and we found solutions.”

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