Chris Sutton reveals the name of the Manchester City player to substitute for Rodri after his injury during their match against Arsenal that most fans have been underating

Before he hurt his ACL badly against Arsenal, Rodri, a midfielder for Manchester City, said that players could go “on strike.”

The Spaniard was worried about the health and safety of the players because City had to play six games in 17 days for the Premier League, the Champions League, and the Carabao Cup. Four of his five full seasons at City, the 28-year-old has played in more than 50 games. He has also played for Spain.

After complaining about City’s schedule of games, Rodri hurt his ACL and will not be able to play for the rest of the 2024–25 season.

On Saturday at 12:30 p.m., City will head to St. James’ Park to play Newcastle United. The Magpies played in the Champions League last year, but a lot of their players got hurt because they had so many games.

Someone asked Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s head coach, if he could relate to Man City’s situation with the possible strike. Howe told The Gazette, “Not being in Europe changes the dynamic for us at least this season, but for the players that are in the Champions League and the internationals, their schedules are very, very intense.”

“They are rewarded for doing that, but it’s really hard on their bodies and minds.” It’s hard for me to be firm on this one because we’re not in the same situation as last year. Our games won’t be as intense as they were last year because we play every week in the Premier League, but we hope to have great cup wins.

It’s important to always think about the well-being of the players, especially the foreign ones, because they’re the ones who make the product. A lot goes into it, like TV money and different events. That decision belongs to someone else.

A busy summer with international service messed up preseason for some of Howe’s players, like Anthony Gordon, Kieran Trippier, and Bruno Guimaraes. These players are still getting back up to speed, according to Howe.