Rodri completes successful surgery on right knee in Madrid – Return timeframe detailed

Manchester City’s Rodri has now undergone successful surgery in Madrid on Friday, offering a clearer indication as to when he could return to action.

The Spain international sustained ligament damage on his right knee during Manchester City’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League, forced off the field inside the opening 25 minutes.

Having been marshalled by Gunners midfielder Thomas Partey on a Manchester City attacking corner, Rodri appeared to plant his right leg awkwardly and fall to the ground in clear discomfort, calling for immediate medical attention and a substitution.

Manchester City have since released a statement confirming the nature of the injury sustained by the 28-year-old, but clarified that they were awaiting further developments before understanding a clear timeframe as to how long the player could be ruled out for.

Now, in a fresh development from Spanish media, Rodri has undertaken the first significant steps towards recovering from the injury, but leaving him out of action for both Manchester City and Spain for a number of months.

According to the information of Spanish newspaper AS, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Rodri has now undergone successful surgery in Madrid on Friday, having been operated on by Doctor Manuel Leyes.

Both the midfielder and Manchester City are said to have chosen Leyes to carry out the procedure, with the Spain international having ‘placed his trust’ in a surgeon who has also worked on Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao in the past.

Rodri will now spend several months recovering, and while he will miss the remainder of the domestic season, the report states that it is not ruled out that he could feature for Spain in the Nations League finals as well as the FIFA Club World Cup for Manchester City next summer.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has commented on the player’s absence on numerous occasions since last weekend, with the Premier League champions returning to action after the clash with Arsenal just 49 hours later in the Carabao Cup third round against Watford.

Speaking on how the Etihad Stadium club will deal with the Spaniard’s absence, Guardiola explained to the media, “When you are without the best midfielder in the world for a long time, it is a big blow. But my duty is to find a solution. When a player is irreplaceable, we have to do it as a team.”

Guardiola does however remain confident of a successful season for Manchester City, pointing towards two key absences from his first-team squad over a prolonged period of time during the last campaign.

“We will find a solution [to Rodri’s absence]. We have alternatives and we’ll do it. When one player is irreplaceable, we have to do it as a team, and this is going to happen,” he explained in midweek.

“Last season, three months without Erling [Haaland], five months without Kevin [De Bruyne], and we were there and we won the Premier League, despite many things.”

Manchester City travel to face Newcastle United on Saturday lunchtime in their first Premier League outing since the draw against Arsenal, hoping to maintain their unbeaten start to the new campaign across all competitions.