Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has explained that Rodri could be out of action for up to three weeks after limping out of Tuesday night’s Champions League win over Atalanta with a hamstring injury, but the club is awaiting further information.
Rodri lined up in the centre of defence alongside fellow midfielder Fernandinho, such have been the injury problems for City at the back so far this season. But the £63m record signing only lasted 41 minutes before he was forced off and replace by the returning John Stones.
Speaking after the 5-1 demolition of their Italian opponents, Guardiola acknowledged that the exact severity of Rodri’s injury won’t be known until tests have been carried out.
“Hopefully, it will be ten days if it's not [torn]. If so, then three weeks. It looks like his hamstring,” the manager is quoted as saying by the club’s official website.
City will hope that it is at the shorter end of that potential time frame as defensive injuries have threatened to seriously trouble the squad in recent weeks.
Tuesday night was the second game in a row in which City started without a recognised centre-back, after Rodri and Fernandinho were also paired at the back for the 2-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Fortunately for City, who opted against replacing departing captain Vincent Kompany and have since lost Aymeric Laporte to a serious knee injury, Stones had suitably recovered from his own layoff to take a place on the bench against Palace.
Nicolas Otamendi then returned to the bench on Tuesday, while the game additionally saw the return of right-back Kyle Walker, but left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is still missing.
Summer Joao Cancelo has filled in on both sides of the defence of late, while Benjamin Mendy, who is now back from injury, and Angelino present other options.
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Source : 90min