Manchester City’s midfield anchor Rodri is set to go under the knife for what’s being called a ‘mystery injury’ and that means he’ll be sidelined for the beginning of the 2026/27 campaign. The news dropped Sunday via MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, who reported that the surgery will happen after Spain wraps up its FIFA World Cup run this summer.
The club hasn’t said much about it. They declined to comment when reached. But the timeline is clear enough: Rodri won’t be ready when the season kicks off. The good news, according to the report, is that recovery shouldn’t drag on forever. It’s not going to be a long rehab process.
Timing is everything for City’s new regime
This hits at a tricky moment for Sporting Director Hugo Viana, who’s been working through his first summer trying to build some continuity after the Pep Guardiola era officially ended. Losing a player of Rodri’s caliber would have been a disaster in previous years. But City already saw this kind of thing coming, at least in part.
They moved early this month to break the bank for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, shelling out a record £116 million. Anderson passed his medical at England’s training base in Kansas and agreed to personal terms. His box-to-box game and versatility give new manager Enzo Maresca an immediate plug-and-play option in midfield, which should help absorb the blow of Rodri’s absence without putting too much pressure on the rest of the roster in August.
The Bernardo Silva departure opened that door. City used the exit as an excuse to upgrade and future-proof the engine room, and now that investment looks even smarter.
Contract talks stalled while Real Madrid lingers
Rodri’s current deal runs through June 2027, which means City is starting to creep into dangerous territory. Letting a key asset get inside the final 12 months of his contract shifts leverage to the player’s side, and there’s still lingering interest from Real Madrid. City has an offer on the table, per reports, but negotiations are not active right now. That quiet pause is a storyline to watch as Viana builds the roster he’ll hand over to Maresca.
The 30-year-old is still under contract, but the combination of injury uncertainty and a stalled extension creates an uncomfortable backdrop for a team in transition.
Who steps up while Rodri heals?
With Rodri out and the World Cup keeping some players occupied, City will lean on guys like Rico Lewis and Nico Gonzalez during the preseason and early matches. Both have uncertain futures at the Etihad. This could be their chance to prove they belong, or it could accelerate conversations about moving them elsewhere.
City’s preseason tour kicks off August 1 in Hong Kong and South Korea against Inter Milan. Rodri won’t be on that flight. The surgery clears out the problem now, rather than letting it linger into the fall. But for a team adjusting to life after Guardiola, losing its most irreplaceable midfielder — even for a short stretch — is not the start anyone wanted.
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