Man City can’t seem to catch a break this season after their latest signing picked up an injury against Leyton Orient on Saturday.
The Premier League champions have experienced a huge drop off in form this term, losing seven games in the top flight already after losing just three in 2023/24, and just barely scraped through to the next round of the Uefa Champions League.
Injuries to key players have been a major factor in their downfall, with none having a greater impact than Rodri’s. The Ballon d’Or winner has not played since September after undergoing surgery on his ACL and meniscus.
Desperate to improve their circumstances, Man City went on a spending spree in the winter transfer window, paying out around £180 million on new signings.
Man City’s cursed season continues as Nico Gonzalez picks up injury
Nico Gonzalez was one of six arrivals, costing £50m from FC Porto to provide midfield depth in the absence of Rodri. But his debut at Brisbane Road only lasted 22 minutes.
Orient forward Sonny Perkins knocked the Spanish midfielder over before falling on top of him, leaving the 23-year-old unable to continue. Hopefully it’s not a serious injury, but it’s yet another setback for Pep Guardiola and his side in a campaign full of them.
Man City have, at least, improved in recent weeks and they did get the win over Orient, but they were far from convincing in doing so (Guardiola himself predicted it would be a slog). Stefan Ortega scored a comical own goal after 15 minutes to put the hosts in front, which won’t increase confidence in the goalkeeper after his shocking performance against Arsenal last weekend.
Second-half goals from Abdukodir Khusanov and Kevin De Bruyne turned it around, but the comeback never felt inevitable. It was as worrying a performance as they have had all year.
One positive for Man City is that Rodri has been included in their Champions League squad, which suggests they are relatively confident the 28-year-old will return before the season ends. Until then, they need to hope their luck does an about turn.
