Manchester City suffer blow as key player goes off injured in Club World Cup final: Reports
Manchester City's Club World Cup triumph over Fluminense was marred by injury to key midfielder Rodri after a reckless challenge.
As per reports from talkSPORT, the Spaniard could be set for a considerable amount of time on the sidelines after he was seen clutching his knee.
Despite starting in what turned out to be a comfortable 4-0 win for Pep Guardiola's men, the Spanish midfielder was subbed off midway through the second half.
Fluminense's Alexsander came in with a hard tackle from a bad angle and was also booked for the offense. It was a poorly timed tackle and caught Rodri's right ankle with full force. The incident occured in the 68th minute and the Spaniard played on for six more minutes.
However, he was in clear discomfort after Phil Foden's goal to make it 3-0 and went to ground, prompting Guardiola to bring him off.
The still of Alexsander's tackle on Rodri:
Whether Pep Guardiola's decision to bring him off was due to the injury or just precautionary is yet to be known.
Manchester City have suffered poor results when Rodri has missed games in the past. He was suspended for three games for a straight red card against Nottingham Forest in September and the Cityzens lost all of the games he missed.
They lost 1-0 to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup, and were stunned 2-1 by Wolves, followed by a 1-0 defeat against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. However, City played one Champions League game during that run in which Rodri was eligible to play and recorded a comfortable 3-1 win over RB Leipzig.
Pep Guardiola will hope for a positive diagnosis on one of his crucial players. Meanwhile, Manchester City can celebrate their maiden Club World Cup win, albeit with a pinch of salt.
Manchester City become the first English side to win Quintuple
Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City side etched their name into the history books with their 4-0 win over Fluminense in the Club World Cup final.
In doing so, City became the first-ever English club to win the Premier League, the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup in the same year.
Pep Guardiola also became the first manager to win the Club World Cup with three different clubs, having previously lifted the trophy with Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
The Spaniard also marked an incredible moment in Manchester City's history, winning every trophy his teams participated in since joining the club back in 2016.