Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Pep Guardiola has never made any secret of his belief Rodri is irreplaceable as a single midfield anchor in his Manchester City side.

Kalvin Phillips is the nearest thing to a sitting midfielder in the City squad but Guardiola has long since decided the former Leeds man is not good enough and he is currently on loan at Ipswich and unable to be recalled until January.

That means Guardiola is likely to tinker with his formation and play with two holding midfielders.

Former Chelsea star Mateo Kovacic can fill that role but he is not the only option.

Centre-back John Stones has rarely played as a lone defensive midfielder during his time at Etihad, but has been inverted into the deep-lying role at times from central defence and right-back.

Ilkay Gundogan was used in that position on numerous occasions before he left for Barcelona in 2023. Bernardo Silva has also played there, as has currently sidelined Kevin de Bruyne at times.

And then there is 19-year-old Rico Lewis, who someone Guardiola said only last week could fill a number of positions, such is his flexibility.

Losing Rodri for any length of time would be a hammer blow for City, but if anyone can come up with a plan to deal with it, Guardiola can.

The January transfer window is only a few months away as well.

Chris Sutton
Former Premier League striker on BBC 5 Live's Monday Night Club

I don't think anyone can fill that role like Rodri but Mateo Kovacic is as able as any replacement out there. Man City will find a way of coping, they always do.

Image source, Getty Images

After Rodri made his Manchester City debut in the 2019 Community Shield against Liverpool, team-mate Kevin de Bruyne described him as the "perfect fit" for the team.

He wasn't wrong.

Since arriving from Atletico Madrid, the Spain midfielder's influence has been extraordinary, with City having lost just 11% of their games with him in the side compared to 24% without him.

City's points-per-game average with Rodri in the side - albeit across all competitions - is 2.36. Without him, it is just 2.04.

Therefore, if Rodri was to miss the rest of the Premier League season, using those averages City would finish on 80 points, compared to a projected 91 points with him playing every week.

In three out of the past four seasons, 91 points would have been enough to win the title.

However, the last time a team won the league with as few as 80 points was Manchester United in 2010-11. City, with Roberto Mancini at the helm, finished third that year.

What makes Rodri so effective?

Put simply, he wins the ball back from the opposition and then gives it to another player on his team - and he does so with metronomic accuracy.

Since his debut in a 5-0 win at West Ham, only Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has won possession more often. Nobody has won the ball back more often in the middle third of the pitch than Rodri has, and only seven players during that time have made more tackles.

His reading of the game and combative nature has helped add a real defensive steel to City, with the club keeping 73 clean sheets in his 260 appearances.

What really sets him apart, however, is how he uses the ball.

Since arriving in the Premier League, Rodri has successfully completed nearly 2,000 more passes than any other player - the City midfielder has made 13,699 in total, with Brighton defender Lewis Dunk next on the list with 11,952.

He has also completed more passes in both the opposition's half and in the final third, while his passing accuracy of 91.9% proves he seldom gives the ball away - even though he's often moving it deep in opposition territory.

Metro

Reports in the Metro suggest Manchester City midfielder Rodri "may" be out for the season.

Again remember that there has been no official confirmation from Manchester City or the player of the extent of the injury.

They also bring some positivity from the City camp as defender Manuel Akanji says they will still retain the Premier League title.

No Rodri, no problem?

Image source, Metro

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Manchester City midfielder Rodri will have further tests on the knee injury that looks set to rule him out for an extended period of time.

Rodri travelled to Spain yesterday for initial tests on the injury sustained in the early stages of City 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

The Spain international seemed to jar his knee as he ran on a wet surface.

Sources have told BBC Sport further tests are required to discover the exact extent of the problem.

However, manager Pep Guardiola was downbeat in the aftermath of Sunday’s game and said the 28-year-old would not have left the field if the issue had not been serious.

Rodri's influence at City can hardly be understated. In his absence last September, they lost three games in a row. The only time City lost in normal time last season with Rodri in the side was the FA Cup final. He was named player of the tournament as Spain won Euro 2024 and is a leading contender to win this year’s Ballon D’Or.

Rodri was making his first Premier League start of the season at the weekend after being given extended time off to recover from injury following the European Championships.

Prior to the Champions League game with Inter Milan on Wednesday, Rodri spoke about the excessive demands being placed on players and warned they were close to taking strike action in protest.

Daily Mirror

The Mirror focus on Gabriel's comments that Arsenal will be "waiting" for Manchester City ahead of February's return game at the Emirates after the feisty 2-2 draw in Manchester on Sunday.

Their reports also suggest Rodri "could miss the rest of the season".

Image source, Daily Mirror

The Daily Star

Another back page, another report that Manchester City midfielder Rodri has torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will miss the rest of the reason. They picture Pep Guardiola booting his seat in the City dugout - an image that could be recreated from the City boss if the news becomes official.

Image source, Daily Star

The Daily Mail

The Mail also suggest Manchester City midfielder Rodri is "set to miss the rest of the season" with a knee injury. Similarly they describe it as a "serious knee injury" that could be a "major blow" to City's Premier League title defence.

Image source, Daily Mail

The Guardian

The Guardian reveal the worst possible news for Manchester City fans in that midfielder Rodri "may miss" the rest of the season after suffering a reported anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Will this rock the champions? Is the question they ask.

Image source, Guardian

Who wants more reaction from that titanic game between Manchester City and Arsenal? Reports suggest City midfielder Rodri could be out for a lengthy period of time...

However, there has been no official confirmation from Manchester City or the player of the extent of the injury - all updates on that will be across this page.

We will also bring you updates on Everton's takeover after the Friedkin Group reached an agreement to buy Farhad Moshiri's majority 94% stake in the Toffees.

Plus we will bring you all the build-up to tonight's Carabao Cup games, with Manchester City and Chelsea in action.

But first let's see what the papers are saying. It is not good news City fans I am afraid.