Rodri out 'for a long time' but Man City waits to learn extent of knee injury, Guardiola says

Manchester City midfielder Rodri will be sidelined “for a long time” with a right knee injury, manager Pep Guardiola said Tuesday, but the club is waiting to discover the severity of the problem sustained against Arsenal in the Premier League over the weekend.

Rodri, who is among the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or for 2024, flew to Spain on Monday to undergo tests. Sections of the British media have reported that the Spain international has suffered an ACL injury.

Guardiola was asked about Rodri's condition after City's 2-1 win over Watford in the English League Cup late Tuesday and said the club should know more on Wednesday.

“There’s some opinions that it will be less than we expect,” Guardiola said. “We’re waiting for the last phone calls from the doctors to know exactly what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get.”

Rodri limped off in the 20th minute of the 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on Sunday after hurting his right knee when jostling with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey in the box at a corner.

If Rodri is missing for a long period of time, it seriously damages City's chances of winning the Premier League for a record-extending fifth straight season. City leads the league by a point after five games.

Rodri is arguably City’s most important player because of how he protects the defense and conducts the team’s passing game.

Guardiola’s team has not lost any of the last 48 Premier League games in which Rodri has featured. His only defeat last season in any competition was the FA Cup final loss to Manchester United in May.

“He is the best holding midfielder in the world. I would say he is a potential Ballon d’Or winner,” Guardiola said of Rodri on Sunday.

Just last week, Rodri said top players could soon go on strike because of the number of games they are being asked to play as new competitions are introduced to an already-packed soccer calendar and matches are added to existing tournaments.

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Steve Douglas, The Associated Press