“Heartbreaking”, “Life hasn’t been easy” – Manchester City fans react to first image of Rodri since surgery on ACL injury | OneFootball

Manchester City and Spain international midfielder Rodri has been spotted for the first time since undergoing surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage.

The 28-year-old was ruled out for the remainder of the season last month after being withdrawn from the eventual 2-2 draw with Arsenal through a serious knee injury that required in-depth assessment and surgery in Spain.

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola are currently in the process of identifying suitable solutions to the player’s absence, and have operated with the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic in the lone defensive midfield role.

The current expectation is that Rodri will remain in his home country for several weeks as he remains under the watchful eye of medical professionals during the opening stages of his lengthy recovery process.

But this week has seen Rodri spotted for the very first time since surgery and since his arrival in Spain last month for the beginning of his surgical operation to amend the damage to his knee.

As revealed by the Spanish national team, Rodri – joined by Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal – were greeted into the camp after both undergoing surgery on long-term injuries that have ruled them out for the foreseeable future.

The emergence of the first image of Rodri post-injury has led to an outpouring of emotion from Manchester City fans and those within the football community, who have been left saddened by the club’s Ballon d’Or contender sustaining such a damaging injury.

One user wrote on social media channel X, ‘This pic is kind of heartbreaking’, whilst another user said, ‘Life hasn’t been easy without him’.