Pep Guardiola admits he wouldn't have substituted Rodri if he hadn't complained of injury in Manchester City's battle against Arsenal on Sunday.
City were leading Arsenal through Erling Haaland but Rodri fell to the ground before a corner after 20 minutes and appeared to twist his knee in an innocuous coming together with Thomas Partey.
After a few minutes of treatment, Rodri limped down the tunnel after a shake of the head to his manager. And Guardiola admitted after the game that he was concerned enough to take 'strong' Rodri off and will now wait for an assessment on his midfielder ahead of fixtures with Watford and Newcastle. ALSO READ: City player ratings vs Arsenal ALSO READ: Man City have obvious answer for issues vs Arsenal - they must ignore it "I don't know, I didn't speak to the doctor," said Guardiola on his midfielder's injury status. "[But] Rodri is strong.
He leaves the pitch in this action because he felt something, otherwise Rodri stays there. He's the best holding midfielder in the world, He is a potential Ballon d'Or winner, I would love for him to win." Guardiola also referred to two other incidents where Arsenal targeted Rodri - one in the opening three seconds when Kai Havertz clattered into the midfielder and sent him to the ground for two minutes - and another hefty challenge before the injury.
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