Pep Guardiola: I’ll find a solution without ‘irreplaceable’ Rodri - further injury details emerge

Pep Guardiola has revealed Rodri is set to undergo surgery on the knee injury he sustained at the weekend but said there is still no confirmation on the exact nature of the problem.

The Manchester City midfielder dropped to the ground in the 15th minute of Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal and was in evident discomfort, before he was replaced by Mateo Kovacic. Reports have since emerged that the midfielder could be out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury, but that wasn’t a diagnosis Guardiola was able to provide on Tuesday.

“Still we don’t have the definitive, but he will be out for a long time, a while, but maybe it will be less than we expected,” the City boss explained after the 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Watford.

“But there are some opinions that maybe it will be less than we expected. Unfortunately, he was injured, but right now I couldn’t tell you.

“I cannot tell you because we are waiting on the phone calls from him and the doctors to know exactly what he has and the type of surgery he has to get. I think tonight, tomorrow we will know.

“He’s okay. He is strong, sad, of course, and waiting for the final decision of what he has to do,” Guardiola added when asked whether he’d spoken to Rodri since the injury.

The challenge now turns to how to replace a player Guardiola has described as ‘irreplaceable’ and the best defensive midfielder in the world.

“We don’t want it, but we will have a good season. I expect a lot from my players and I have a duty to find a solution even if Rodri is irreplaceable.

“When a team doesn’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time, it is a big blow. But it’s football. It happens. And it is my duty to find a solution, be competitive as we have been for many, many years and be there, be a problem for our opponents. 

“Yes, he’s irreplaceable. But I will find a solution. There is an alternative, we will do it. When you have one player who is irreplaceable, as a team we have to find a solution.

“Last season, we were three months without Erling [Haaland], five months without Kevin [De Bruyne] and we found solutions. We won the Premier League”