'Rodri's season is over' - Pep Guardiola confirms catastrophic blow for Man City as football injury expert suggests Spaniard may never be the same player again

The Spain international sustained ligament damage during his team's feisty 2-2 draw against Arsenal last weekend and fears of a long-term absence were confirmed on Friday as coach Pep Guardiola announced he will not play again this season.

He told reporters: "Unfortunately Rodri got the worst outcome. He had surgery this morning, ACL and some meniscus. This season is over for Rodri. Next season, he will be here."

However, it is likely to take even longer for the the 28-year-old to make a full recovery as injury expert Ben Dinnery says he may need 18 months to get back to his best. Indeed, he also stressed that there is the risk that he will never be the same as a player, given the severity of the knee issue.

"I’m presuming it’s an ACL injury based on the action, which means you’re typically looking at over 270 days for recovery," Dinnery told Instant Casino.

"What we have to remember however is that a return to play doesn’t necessarily mean a return to performance. What we’ve seen in recent times is that it’s not usually until that 12-18 month period that we begin to see consistent levels of optimal performances every week – the most common example of this is with Virgil van Dijk.

"There’s certainly no guarantee or given right that Rodri will ever return to those pre-injury levels, even if he goes about everything correctly. Only time will tell if the player we’ve seen over the past year will make a comeback at all."

The central midfielder will have to watch on from the sidelines as City attempt to defend their Premier League title during his recovery, with the reigning English champions facing Newcastle this weekend.