Manchester City need a defensive midfielder this month.

Rodri is out for the season and the decision in the summer not to buy support for him has been exposed. City were confident in Mateo Kovacic and the returning Ilkay Gundogan to offer alternative options, with John Stones, Manu Akanji and Rico Lewis all able to invert.

The problem has been keeping those players fit as well, as injury problems have ravaged the squad and exposed any weakness while brutally ripping open the reliance on Rodri. January is a chance to put some sticking plasters on that huge number-six-shaped hole and try to restore some control in midfield.

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Finding a candidate to replace Rodri, or act as a back-up, will be no easy search, however. Especially if City are not expected to move for Martin Zubimendi or Bruno Guimaraes.

They need someone to fix the injury crisis straight away this season in a way Rodri would, but then be happy to act as number two to the Ballon d'Or winner next season. Maybe that's why they didn't find the ideal candidate in the summer.

The search will be harder now.

So it is welcome to hear Rodri talk about next season and how his recovery is going. He's already said he hopes to be back before the current campaign is over but that feels both foolish and ambitious.

Pep Guardiola has warned that Rodri may not return the same player, or at least may take time to get his rhythm back. Kevin De Bruyne spent much of last season out and has struggled this season from follow-on issues. There will also be a smaller pre-season next summer given the Club World Cup, or no pre-season at all.

But Rodri and City's medical team don't think that will be as much of an issue. "I'm not afraid [of not reaching the same levels again]. I know the player I am," he said.

"I know that these kinds of injuries are not the same as they were 30 years ago. Also, the medical team has given me infinite peace of mind in that sense, that I shouldn't worry, that I can come back without anything that will hinder me."

It's hard to guarantee such a prediction, yet it's reassuring to hear nonetheless. If Rodri can hit the ground running at the start of next season, it takes some pressure off finding the perfect short-term replacement this month. Focus can turn to the best long-term solution to manage Rodri's minutes so he isn't playing 70-game seasons every year while also reassuring whoever arrives that they will get plenty of games too.

The quicker Rodri is back to full fitness, the less of a risk City have to take in the January window.