Rodri will miss the rest of the season due to the anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in Manchester City's draw against Arsenal

Rodri will miss the rest of Manchester City's season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained against Arsenal, talkSPORT understands.

The midfielder He was substituted in the 21st minute of Sunday's 2-2 draw after planting his foot in an awkward position on the pitch.

He was able to limp off the field, but the Spaniard is said to have torn his cruciate ligaments according to initial tests.

It means that this is very likely to mean the end of his season, which is a huge blow for him. City After initial optimism, he would not be out for a long period.

The extent of the injury has yet to be confirmed by City, who are bidding for an unprecedented fifth successive Premier League title.

After the match, City manager Pep Guardiola revealed he did not know how serious the 28-year-old's injury was.

Guardiola said: “I don't know yet, I haven't asked the doctors. Rodri is strong. He left the field in this action because he felt something, otherwise Rodri would stay.”

“He's the best midfielder in the world, he's a potential Ballon d'Or winner, I'd love for him to win.

“But it happened in the first few minutes. These games against Arsenal are like that and we have to deal with it. We did. We did some really good things.”

Rodri's injury comes days after he hinted that footballers are Close to being potentially eye-catching due to the high demands of the sporting calendar.

He said the optimal number of games players should play should be between 40 and 50, rather than the 60 to 70 City could have at least this season.

“If people want to see better football, then we need to rest,” he said last week.

2

Rodri has been instrumental in City's success in recent seasons, particularly in their treble-winning campaign in 2022/23.

He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan and put in consistent and dominant performances in midfield.

City did not lose a single Premier League game in which he played last season, and all three of their defeats came without him.

Guardiola will be able to count on other midfielders such as Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan and Matheus Nunes as cover.

However, given Rodri's importance in midfield, fans may fear a drop in success while the Euro 2024 winner is away.

JOIN THE DUGOUT

Have your say on all things talkSPORT by joining 'THE DUGOUT' – our new panel of listeners.

Our aim is to take a deeper look at your perspectives and make sure talkSPORT is the best it can be. Your voice matters and we want to hear it!

Present your innovative ideas and participate in fun locker room polls, surveys and debates.

Just by joining, you'll be entered into a draw to win one of four £50 Amazon vouchers, and you'll be entered into another draw for every survey you complete afterwards.

To join 'The DUGOUT' panel, please Click here.