Pep Guardiola makes ominous Rodri promise as Man City prepare for Newcastle United test

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has described midfielder Rodri as ‘irreplaceable’ as the Spain international looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The former Villarreal and Atletico Madrid star has become a key component in Guardiola’s side as City have dominated the Premier League in recent years and is widely expected to be in the race to win this year’s Balon d’Or. However, after suffering a serious knee injury in Sunday’s 2-2 home draw with title rivals Arsenal, Rodri is now expected to miss the remainder of the Premier League season in what will be a severe blow to Guardiola’s hopes of chasing an unprecedented fourth consecutive title win.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the reigning champions said: “Manchester City FC 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.”

Ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime’s trip to Newcastle United, Guardiola is already without the services of defender Nathan Ake and attacking midfielder Oscar Bobb, who scored a dramatic late winner in last year’s meeting of the two sides on Tyneside. Kevin De Bruyne is a doubt for the game after he picked up a groin injury in last weekend’s Champions League draw with Inter Milan - but it is the loss of Rodri that will be the biggest blow for City as Guardiola faces up to a lengthy spell without a player he believes is the best midfielder in the world.

“Still we don’t have the definitive (diagnosis) but he will be out for a long time, a while,” Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News. “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. We are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get. He’s okay. He's strong, sad of course, and waiting for the final decision of what he has to do. We don’t want it, but we will (still) 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. 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, five months without Kevin and we found solutions.”