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Manchester City will be without Rodri for the rest of the season after he suffered a serious knee injury last month
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Manchester City are adapting to life without Rodri after their midfield talisman was ruled out for the rest of the 2024/25 season. The Spaniard went down injured during City’ 1-1 draw with Arsenal last month, with the club confirming he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. That has left the champions unable to call upon the player Four Four Two have ranked as the best defensive midfielder in the world as Pep Guardiola searches for a solution to what could be a season-defining problem. The City boss has so far turned to Mateo Kovacic to replace Rodri, and with Kalvin Phillips unable to be recalled from his Ipswich Town loan spell, the Croatian is the only like-for-like replacement for the Euro 2024 winner in Guardiola’s squad. Positional flexibility is a key part of the modern game, however, and former City defender Richard Dunne believes that right-back Rico Lewis can offer Guardiola another option in defensive midfield. “Rico Lewis has already proven that he can play in Rodri’s place, ” Dunne told Bet Victor. “He’s been very good this season and has been one of City’s key players. “He obviously can’t do the exact same job to the same effect as Rodri, but he can do a slightly different job equally well. He’s a superb player who can operate in several different roles. ” The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Rodri’s record in a Manchester City shirt is almost without comparison, with the 28-year-old going 74 games unbeaten before last season’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United, but Dunne believes there is enough quality in the squad to compensate for his loss. “Rodri is obviously still a big loss and the stats show they’re worse off without him, but the more the players get used to him not being there, the more the stats will start to even themselves out, ” he added. VIDEO: Why Man United Got DESTROYED By Tottenham “They’ve got too much quality to just rely on one player, regardless of how good he is. In a couple of weeks’ time, they’ll have worked it out and will be as strong as ever. ” In Four Four Two’s view, Lewis certainly has many of the attributes to succeed in this position and Guardiola’s ability to set his team up to leverage his squad’s strengths mean there is a very decent chance we will see the 19-year-old in this role at some point this season. Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription Join now for unlimited access Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and Leeds Live among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Puma Ultra 5 Ultimate review: Lightweight, snappy and responsive - these are everything you want from a speed boot ‘People always say the Germans never give up, that we’re never beaten. But Manchester United did it to us in 1999 – they were fighting and believing until the end’: Bayern Munich defender reflects on heartbreak of Champions League final The most influential football managers ever Four Four Two is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. ©
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