Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has admitted that Rodri's knee injury sustained in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday "could be a season-changing blow" for Pep Guardiola's side.
The 28-year-old, labelled "the best holding midfielder in world football" by Guardiola, experienced a disrupted start to the new season and was handed just his second start in all competitions in the clash with Arsenal.
However, Rodri was forced off in the 21st minute after jarring his knee following an innocuous coming-together with Thomas Partey at a corner.
Guardiola admitted at his post-match press conference that the decision to take Rodri off was made because "he felt something", and multiple reports have since emerged claiming that the Euro 2024 winner with Spain is facing a significant period on the sidelines.
Indeed, it has been reported that Rodri underwent tests on Monday morning and they have revealed that the midfielder has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee.
Man City's No.16 is therefore set to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season and is likely to undergo surgery in Barcelona.
McInerney: 'There is no one like Rodri in world football'
Speaking exclusively to Sports Mole about the significance of Rodri's potential long-term absence, McInerney said: "[The concern over] Rodri depends on the size of the blow. There's some people going around saying it could be season-ending, we just don't know. It's all speculation.
"I'm nervous. I'm not going to lie, because Rodri is one of one, there's no one like him in world football. I know there was a lot of discourse around City signing a potential replacement or a backup (in the summer). Bruno Guimaraes was mentioned a lot, but there's no one (who can replace Rodri).
"Even if we signed Bruno from Newcastle United, he couldn't come in and do the job Rodri did straight away. It took Rodri two or three years to get to that level at Manchester City Football Club, because it takes time under Guardiola to learn the ways, the positional awareness that you need to play under Guardiola, just to get up to speed with your teammates.
"There's no one we could sign in world football that would come in and be able to do the job as good as Rodri does. The closest you could probably get is [Ilkay] Gundogan who understands [the role], but he's getting on a little bit. I feel like that it could be a season-changing blow."
Rodri's injury "is a huge spanner in the works" for Man City
McInerney added: "If anyone is capable of fixing that hole in the Premier League it's probably Manchester City. When you've got a combination of Gundogan, [Mateo] Kovacic, Bernardo [Silva], and of course [Phil] Foden and [Kevin] De Bruyne ahead of them, you've got an awful lot of quality there - presuming De Bruyne is going to be okay, which I think he will be in a week or two."
De Bruyne missed City's draw with Arsenal after he was taken off with an apparent groin problem in the 0-0 Champions League draw with Inter Milan last Wednesday, but Guardiola has revealed that he does not expect the Belgian to be sidelined for too long.
McInerney continued: "It's undeniable to me that [Rodri's injury] is a huge spanner in the works if he's out for a long time. He was never going to play against Watford (in the EFL Cup on Tuesday). That's going to be a really rotated team because City have to, they've got no choice.
"But against Newcastle (on Saturday), that's a big game and that's hard. That's against the man that we just mentioned (Bruno Guimaraes). [Missing a] midfield of [Rodri's] quality against Newcastle would be a massive blow."
Will Man City's PL title hopes dip if Rodri is sidelined long term?
McInerney is optimistic that Man City can still perform to a high standard in some games this season without Rodri, but admits that the Spaniard's potential long-term absence could have a detrimental impact on the club's quest to win a record-extending fifth consecutive Premier League title.
"I do think we probably have enough to get through the odd game - Kovacic and Bernardo started the season very well - but all of a sudden, our likelihood of winning the Premier League does dip if that's a serious injury for Rodri, you can't really get past that," said McInerney.
Rodri has been a hugely influential cog in the Guardiola machine that has won 11 trophies since he joined Man City from Atletico Madrid in 2019, including four Premier League title and one Champions League, with Rodri scoring the decisive goal in the final of the latter competition in 2023.
Man City currently sit top of the Premier League table following their draw with Arsenal, who sit two points further back in fourth, while fellow title hopefuls Liverpool are second and only one point behind the Citizens after five matches.
> Click here to view Man City's record without Rodri amid injury concern for the midfielder
