Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been ruled out for the rest of the season, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed.
The club have now learned the influential Spain international suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage to his right knee in last weekend’s draw with Premier League rivals Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
The 28-year-old has undergone surgery and will not be available again until next season.
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“He had surgery this morning – ACL and some meniscus,” Guardiola said.
“So, next season he will be here. This season is over (for him).”
Fellow midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will also miss this Saturday’s game at Newcastle.
Rodri’s absence will leave a huge void, with the champions having not lost any of their last 48 Premier League matches in which he has featured.
He has been a vital component of four title-winning sides since joining the club in 2019. He scored the winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final and is one of the leading contenders to win this year’s Ballon d’Or award after helping Spain to Euro 2024 success.
Guardiola said: “It’s a lot of months without an important player for us, everybody knows it.”
Only last week Rodri joined a host of high-profile players to speak out about the ever-increasing fixture workload facing the game’s top stars, and said he thought players could be “close” to striking because of the overloaded calendar.