Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola admits midfielder Rodri is irreplaceable, but says he will find a solution as they look to once again successfully defend their Premier League crown.
Rodri suffered a knee injury against Arsenal in last weekend’s 2-2 Premier League draw and is expected to miss the rest of the season, with Guardiola saying after his team beat Watford 2-1 in the League Cup third round on Tuesday night: “When a team doesn’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time, it is a big blow.
“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.”
Rodri, named the best player at the European Championship, which he won with Spain, has been key to Guardiola’s success at the helm of the Premier League champions.
Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, Rodri has played 174 Premier League games for the club and has finished on the losing side only 19 times in that period, with 129 wins.