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Should Manchester City sign a midfielder in January if Rodri’s injury issues persist?

Originally posted on Esteemed Kompany | By Adam Marrett | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 11:37 AM ET

Rodri has returned this season from the ACL injury that ended his 24/25 season. He has played five games so far this season for Manchester City. But the Spanish midfielder missed Manchester City’s most recent Premier League fixture against Burnley due to knee soreness. The fact that Rodri is having fitness issues isn’t a major surprise. It will take time for him to return to full fitness after such a devastating injury. But if Rodri’s fitness issues persist, is there a case for City to sign another midfielder during the January transfer window? Perhaps there is. But it is dependent on Rodri’s fitness.

Manchester City is reportedly interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Ahad Shaukat has reported for CaughtOffside that Manchester City have an interest in signing promising Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic. Furthermore, Shaukat reports that City see Pavlovic as a potential long-term successor to Rodri. As per Shaukat’s report, Manchester City are reportedly considering making a bid to sign Pavlovic in January. City are considering a bid of €45-50 million to sign Pavlovic from Bayern Munich. Whether or not Bayern Munich would contemplate selling such a promising young player remains to be seen. But if would be doubtful that Bayern would sell a prized asset in January.

If Rodri stays fit for a prolonged period City likely won’t need to sign another midfielder.

As mentioned above, it isn’t a surprise to see that Rodri has had fitness issues at times this season. That was to be expected after he suffered a serious ACL injury last season. He will need time to get back to full fitness. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take a season to get back to his best in terms of his fitness. Typically, ACL injuries are one of the most trying to come back from.

But do Manchester City need to sign another midfielder in January? As of right now, no they don’t. They spent until the close of the last transfer window trimming the size of Pep Guardiola’s squad. Pep Guardiola’s wish to have a smaller squad to maintain squad harmony is well-documented. Unless City have a plethora of injuries until January, or more importantly, Rodri is hampered by niggling injuries they don’t seem to be a club that will be busy in the January transfer window.

Rodri’s fitness is one key factor is how Manchester City fare this season. There are signs that he is close to getting back to his best in terms of his touch and form. But his fitness is still in need of a cautious approach. Barring anything exceptional, it’s hard to see City entering the January transfer window to sign Aleksandar Pavlovic, or any other midfielder at this stage.

This article first appeared on Esteemed Kompany and was syndicated with permission.

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