Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
The 28-year-old sustained the injury during a 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League, following a collision with Thomas Partey.
City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that Rodri has undergone surgery on his knee and will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.
“He had surgery this morning – ACL and some meniscus,” Guardiola said on Friday.
“So, next season he will be here. This season is over [for him].”
Guardiola said Rodri was “irreplaceable” during last season’s title run-in, in which City pipped Arsenal to win their fourth consecutive league title.
Rodri missed five games last season and City lost four of them.
“Unfortunately we got the worst (news) but these things happen,” added Guardiola. “We will be there to support him in his recovery step-by-step.
“What he gives us, we don’t have a similar player.
“But the others can all together replace what Rodri has given since his arrival to us. We will have to do it as a team and find a way to play a lot of matches without an important player for us.”
Guardiola said the club will assess the “potential problems” caused by Rodri’s absence before deciding whether to sign a new midfielder in the January transfer window.
Meanwhile, City are set to be without Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne for their Premier League trip to Newcastle United on Saturday (12:30 BST).
De Bruyne missed the draw with Arsenal and may not return to action until after the international break in October.
City also face Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League and Fulham in the Premier League before the mid-October internationals.
Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, City have lost just 11% of the matches in which Rodri has featured, compared with 24% without the Spaniard.
Rodri was making his first start of the Premier League season against Arsenal, having sustained a hamstring injury during Spain’s 2-1 win against England in the Euro 2024 final in July that kept him out for six weeks.
The midfielder was voted player of the tournament as Spain won the trophy for a fourth time and is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or next month – given to the world’s best player.
Earlier this month the former Atletico Madrid player, who played 63 times for City and Spain last season, claimed players are “close to” striking over an increase in the number of games in the calendar, including an expanded Champions League and Club World Cup.