Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@SEFutbol
Topics: Rodri, Manchester City, Injury
Ryan Smart
The first photo of the scar suffered by Rodri as a result of surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament injury has emerged on social media.
Rodri tore his ACL in September's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, ruling him out for the rest of the Premier League season.
City have struggled in his absence, winning just one of their last eight games in all competitions.
The Spanish midfielder won the Ballon d'Or in October, and declared weeks later that he hoped to be back fit for the Club World Cup in June.
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He has, however, had to wait to have surgery on the knee, with this potentially being down to swelling or the wait for a full range of movement to return.
That surgery was finally completed last week in Madrid, and an image of the scar on his knee as a result has gone viral on social media.
The image shows the scar extends from around his patella tendon to the top of the femur.
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Speaking about the nature of his injury and his early recovery on 'The Rest is Football', he said: "My goal is to return this season. I haven't given up, but I also don't want to make mistakes.
"My aim is to be back in six or seven months.
"I'm much better than I expected. I'm enjoying the rest, if that's possible.
"When I got injured, I didn't feel a 'crack'; my knee felt stable. I thought it wasn't very serious, and now I'm feeling optimistic. The first month and a half was tough because of the pain - I couldn't walk - but now it's easier."
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According to experts, elite athletes can achieve a full ACL recovery in as little as six months, but this only occurs in rare cases and a recovery of at least eight to nine months is normally expected.
An ACL injury requires surgery to fully heal as the ligament does not repair itself.
A player who suffers an injury to the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) can often recover more quickly because it is stronger than the ACL.
An MCL injury, meanwhile, is different as minor tears can heal on their own, although major tears will likely require surgery.