MANCHESTER: Manchester City midfielder Rodri will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his damaged ACL on Friday.
The Spain international also injured his meniscus.
“This season is over (for him),” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “We are there to support him in a good recovery, step by step and move forward.”
Rodri injured his right knee in the first half of City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday.
City hoped the injury would not be as bad as first feared, but confirmation of ACL damage — which can take from six months to a year to recover from — meant the four-time defending English Premier League champion will be without one of their most influential players for the remainder of this campaign.
“We don’t have a similar player, but the other players all together can replace what Rodri has given since he arrived to us,” Guardiola said. “We have to do it as a team and we have to find a way to play a lot of months without an important player for us.”
Man City’s Rodri will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery
https://arab.news/gapmw
Man City’s Rodri will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery
- The Spain international also injured his meniscus
- “This season is over (for him),” City manager Pep Guardiola said
Al-Hilal win tightens Saudi Pro League title race
- The 3-2 victory over Al-Khaleej leaves Al-Hilal a single point behind Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr, who play on Saturday
DUBAI: The gap at the top of the Saudi Pro League table was cut to just one point on Friday night, following Al-Hilal’s 3-2 win over Al-Khaleej.
Simone Inzaghi’s team leapfrogged Al-Taawoun into second place to remain the closest challengers to Al-Nassr in the title fight, with the leaders set to host Al-Okhdood on Saturday.
Al-Hilal opened the scoring on 18 minutes when Mohammed Kanno met Hamad Al-Yami’s lay-off on the edge of the penalty area, his long-range shot beating Al-Khaleej goalkeeper Anthony Moris at his left-hand post.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic doubled the lead on 39 from Malcom’s assist to leave the visitors with a mountain to climb in the second half. Al-Hilal looked to have secured all three points comfortably when Malcom made it 3-0 on 57 minutes, but Al-Khaleej had other ideas.
Joshua King’s goal on 79 minutes looked to be nothing more than a consolation, but five minutes later Al-Hilal were left sweating after Giorgos Masouras cut their lead to a single goal. The visitors’ revival was short-lived, however, with no more additions to the score.
The defeat leaves Al-Khaleej in eighth place, with three matches still to be played on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, Al-Taawoun briefly climbed to second place in the table after an away win against Al-Kholood at Al-Hazem Stadium. Their goals came from Christopher Zambrano after 22 minutes and a William Troost-Ekong’s own goal in the 75th; Al-Taawoun ended the match with 10 men after Muteb Al-Mufarrij was sent off in stoppage time, but the three points were already secured.
Al-Hilal’s win later in the day meant Al-Taawoun dropped to third, while Al-Kholood sit in 12th.
The first match of the day saw Al-Fateh shock reigning Asian champions Al-Ahli with a 2-1 win, after falling behind at home to Valentin Atangana’s 22nd-minute goal. However, the home team turned the match around with two goals from Maria Vargas either side of half time.
The win saw Al-Fateh rise to 14th while Al-Ahli stayed in fourth.
