Manchester City fans will sadly not be seeing Rodri in match action for the foreseeable future.
The midfield maestro sustained an ACL injury earlier this season against Arsenal, just days after expressing his concerns about the workload for top players.
Rodri underwent surgery, and it is not expected that he will be back before the end of the current season.
Thus far, City have been struggling without Rodri. The club are now on a four-game losing streak, which is practically unheard of these days under Pep Guardiola.
Fans are slightly concerned, but the international break comes at the right time.
Guardiola will be racking his brains about how to cover Rodri’s absence, and it may be that the Manchester City manager has one eye on the January transfer window.
Rodri is said to have advised that Man City go out and sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
Rodri has just done a new interview in Spain, and was asked about his future at the club.
Rodri admits new contract at Man City is ‘not my priority’ right now
Man City have wanted to tie Rodri down to a new contract since earlier this year.
There is an acknowledgment that Rodri is a hugely important player for the team, and there is a desire to bring him more in line with the top earners at the Etihad Stadium.
City would look to pay Rodri around £375,000 per week through a new deal, it has been suggested.
With Rodri have just won the Ballon d’Or, one would imagine City are even more keen to reward him with a new deal
However, a new contract isn’t something that is the player’s focus right now due to his injury.
Speaking in his interview with COPE, Rodri admitted: “Now with the injury it’s not my priority. I want to recover and we’ll see.”
Rodri was also asked whether he saw himself potentially finishing his career in Manchester. The star was keen not to close any doors.
“I don’t know, I like to live in the present and I have a contract with my club, I’m very happy there. Closing yourself or opening doors to you makes no sense. I’m still passionate about the Spanish league but the English league is special. It’s a club where I feel very identified, very familiar and I feel very comfortable. I would have to think a lot about getting out of there.”
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Man City fans must be patient over Rodri
So it doesn’t sound as though there will be a new contract announced for Rodri any time soon, but that is understandable.
The star wants to focus on his recovery first and fans just need to be patient.
Ultimately, Rodri has everything in place for him at City to continue being one of the top players in the game once he gets back from his injury.
He is adored by the fans and his teammates, and knows that playing in this team helped him achieve something incredibly special winning the Ballon d’Or.
Surely, there is a more than reasonable chance that he will agree to fresh terms and that he will be sticking around for his peak years.
