Manchester City midfielder Rodri has ligament damage in his right knee, the club said Wednesday without giving a time frame for his potential absence.
The Spain international, who is among the favorites to win this year's Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world, limped off after 20 minutes of the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Rodri traveled to Spain on Monday to seek specialist consultation on the problem and City has confirmed he ''suffered a ligament injury.''
''Assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the injury and expected prognosis,'' the English champions said.
City manager Pep Guardiola said Tuesday he expects to be without Rodri for "a long time" but revealed there were "some opinions that it will be less than we expect.''
''We're waiting for the last phone calls from the doctors to know exactly what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get,'' Guardiola said after City's 2-1 win over Watford in the English League Cup.
Rodri's absence is a major blow to City's ambitions of winning a record-extending fifth straight Premier League title this season as he is arguably the team's most important player because of how he protects the defense and conducts its passing game.
His importance to Guardiola's team was underlined last season when City lost four of nine games without the inspirational midfielder in all competitions. By comparison, City lost just one of 50 games with him in the team.
