The knee ligament damage that midfielder Rodri sustained in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal will keep him out “for a long time,” according to the Manchester City manager.
It is unknown how long he will be absent, as City says more tests are required to determine the precise nature of his right knee’s prognosis.
But due of Rodri’s enormous influence at the club, the City manager needs a solution.
Since his debut in 2019, City has only lost 11% of its games when he is on the team, compared to 24% when he is off the field.
For the next several months, an internal solution must be sought; potential substitutes include Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, and Rico Lewis.
One possibility is to bring back Kalvin Phillips from his Ipswich loan period when the transfer window opens, but who else might Guardiola recruit to take the place of his frequently referred to as “irreplaceable” midfield player?
Data company Opta discovered that Declan Rice of Arsenal and Federico Valverde of Real Madrid were two of the midfielders from Europe’s top leagues that most resembled Rodri when examining a variety of indicators from the previous campaign.
