Pep Guardiola makes decision on January signing following Rodri injury setback | OneFootball

Manchester City will be tasked with sourcing reinforcement in central areas during the January transfer window by manager Pep Guardiola, a new report has claimed.

The latest transfer claim comes after the Premier League champions were forced to come to terms with the prospect of competing across multiple competitions without their mainstay defensive midfielder Rodri this season.

The Spaniard has sustained a serious knee injury with Manchester City confirming ligament damage in a club statement on Wednesday, despite the full severity of the problem yet to be ascertained by medical professionals.

Several reports have already indicated the belief from within the Etihad Stadium that Rodri will miss the remainder of Manchester City’s season, and as such there has been widespread debate about how Pep Guardiola will re-work his system to accomadate for such a blow.

However, one such direction that the club could take upon the turn of the year is by re-entering the transfer window and investing in a new talent to stand-in for Rodri during his absence, before learning from the 28-year-old upon his return.

According to the information of Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Manchester City will analyse their plans to improve the defensive midfield area of the pitch during the January transfer window.

However, it is further claimed that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola himself would now like to add to his midfield options in the winter market following Rodri’s injury setback sustained at the weekend.

It remains to be seen whether any options will become available to Manchester City, or be open to a change of scenery midway through the season, especially given the club’s hesitance to invest heavily in previous editions of this particular window.

The January market has often seen Manchester City finalise agreements with young rising talents in recent years, as seen through the signings of Gabriel Jesus from Palmeiras, as well as Julian Alvarez and Claudio Echeverri from River Plate.

While the former pair have since joined and left the Etihad Stadium, a new era and adventure concerning Echeverri is yet to begin, with the latest understanding being that the Argentina youth international will join Manchester City in January 2025.