- Rodri has been sidelined with a knee injury since September
- The Ballon d'Or winner is optimistic about a relatively quick recovery
- Man City have struggled without Rodri
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has revealed that he is aiming to return from his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury before the end of the season.
The reigning Ballon d'Or winner suffered a serious knee injury during City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on 22 September. Rodri had already missed the first couple of weeks of the campaign with a hamstring injury he sustained during Spain's triumphant Euro 2024 final against England and publicly warned about the dangers of overplaying.
Pep Guardiola's side have desperately struggled in the midfielder's absence, slumping to a five-game losing streak in November. City ended that run by giving up a three-goal lead to draw with Feyenoord on Tuesday.
In more positive news for fans of the Premier League champions, Rodri is optimistic about his recovery. "My target is to come back this season," the Spain international told Gary Lineker's The Rest is Football podcast. "I think in terms of my mentality it's going to be positive for me to not give up the season and throw it.
"I don't want to run, you know, I don't want to make mistakes. But yeah, that's my mentality. I don't know when. In my target is six, seven months, but the physios, they will dictate."
After a couple of days of speculation, Guardiola revealed that City would be without Rodri for the rest of the campaign at the end of September. "Next season he will be here. This season is over [for him]. It is what it is," the Catalan coach shrugged.
"Unfortunately, we got the worst [news] but it is what it is at this level. Sometimes, unfortunately, it happens. We are just there to support him and [help him make a] good recovery, step by step, and move forward."
At the time, Guardiola admitted that City "don't have a similar player". Mateo Kovacic was plugged into the holding role before he was also forced into the treatment room during the November international break. The Croatian schemer has been ruled out for around a month, leaving City without any recognised defensive midfielders.
Since Rodri pulled up with his ACL against Arsenal, City have conceded the most big chances in the Premier League, per Opta.
