Colossal Man City blow with Rodri set to miss rest of season after ...

Manchester City will have to defend their Premier League title without hugely influential star Rodri as the midfielder has injured his ACL and will miss the rest of the campaign, TEAMtalk can confirm.

Rodri has established himself as a crucial player for Pep Guardiola since joining Man City from Atletico Madrid for a then club-record £62.8million (€75.3m / US$83.8m) in July 2019. The Spaniard is now viewed as the best defensive midfielder in the world, having helped City dominate the midfield on their way to lifting one Champions League and four consecutive Premier League titles, plus a host of other silverware.

Rodri is a contender for the Ballon d’Or after winning the Premier League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with City last term, while also helping Spain triumph in the Euros over the summer.

However, City had to cope without the 28-year-old for the majority of their huge clash with Arsenal on Sunday after he went down holding his knee in the 21st minute.

Guardiola’s side went on to snatch a 2-2 draw against 10-man Arsenal, with John Stones equalising deep into added time, but City fans will also have been worried about the severity of Rodri’s injury.

David Ornstein and Pol Ballus of The Athletic state that the world-class star will be out of action for a ‘significant period’ after sustaining a ‘significant knee injury’.

Transfer insider Fraser Gillan has confirmed to TEAMtalk that Rodri has damaged his ACL and will not play again this term.

His absence will see Mateo Kovacic play far more minutes after the Croatian came off the bench to replace Rodri against Arsenal.

Rodri’s long-term injury also makes the signing of Ilkay Gundogan look even more clever. City reunited with Gundogan in the summer after Barcelona allowed the 33-year-old to leave on a free transfer to save on their wage bill.

Gundogan is an extremely versatile midfielder and can shine in any of the No 6, No 8 or No 10 roles. Guardiola will likely swap between Kovacic and Gundogan as his main defensive midfielder in the coming months as City prepare to fight on multiple fronts.

It is also likely that the serial winners will dip into the market for a specialised No 6 when the transfer window reopens in January.

Rodri’s massive setback comes after he complained about the busy footballing schedule recently. When asked if he and his fellow players might go on strike over the rising number of games, the Madrid-born star replied: “Yes, I think we are close to that. If it keeps this way we will have no other option. It is something that worries us.

“Between 40 and 50 is the amount of games in which a player can perform at the highest level. After that you drop because it is impossible to sustain the physical level. This year we are maybe going to go until 70 or maybe 80. In my humble opinion, I think it is too much.

“Someone has to take care of us because we are the main characters of this, let’s say, sport, or business, whatever you want to call it.

“Not everything is about money or marketing. It is about the quality of the show. In my opinion, when I am not tired I perform better. If people want to see better football then we need to rest.”

Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva has hit out at Arsenal for how they acted during Sunday’s Etihad showdown, while also explaining the clear difference between Mikel Arteta’s side and Liverpool.

Plus, City chiefs are preparing for life without another top-class midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, with the Belgium captain now 33 years old.

TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Rudy Galetti has revealed that City are preparing a stunning £83.4m (€100m / US$111.2m) offer for Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala. City hope to beat Real Madrid to the deadly attacking midfielder.