A football injury expert has commented on Rodri’s situation after the Manchester City and Spain midfielder suffered knee ligament damage.
The Ballon d’Or contender was forced off during Man City‘s 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.
Just days after he claimed players could strike over the increasing fixture schedule, Rodri went down clutching his knee as Man City were about to defend a corner and it’s since been revealed that he’s likely to miss the rest of this season.
On Wednesday, a statement from Man City confirmed he’s suffered ligament damage to his right knee.
A statement read: “Manchester City can confirm that Rodri has suffered a ligament injury to his right knee.
“The injury was sustained during the first half of this weekend’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League.
“The midfielder travelled to Spain to seek specialist consultation this week, following initial tests in Manchester.
“Assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the injury and expected prognosis.
“Everyone at the club wishes him a speedy recovery and mancity.com will bring you regular updates regarding his rehabilitation.”
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Now, expert Ben Dinnery claims there’s “no given right” that Rodri “will ever return to those pre-injury levels”.
“I think the assumption is that it’s season over for Rodri,” Dinnery said in an interview with Instant Casino.
“I’m presuming it’s an ACL injury based on the action, which means you’re typically looking at over 270 days for recovery.
“What we have to remember however is that a return to play doesn’t necessarily mean a return to performance. What we’ve seen in recent times is that it’s not usually until that 12-18 month period that we begin to see consistent levels of optimal performances every week – the most common example of this is with Virgil van Dijk.
“There’s certainly no guarantee or given right that Rodri will ever return to those pre-injury levels, even if he goes about everything correctly. Only time will tell if the player we’ve seen over the past year will make a comeback at all.”
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Head coach Pep Guardiola admits losing Rodri is a “big blow”, but he has a “duty to find a solution”.
“We don’t want this, but we will still have a good season. I trust a lot in my players, I have a duty to find a solution,” Guardiola said.
“Rodri is irreplaceable and the team won’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time. Of course it’s a big, big blow for us.
“But it’s football, it’s happened, and my duty is to find a solution, to be competitive like we have been for many years.”
