John Stones found Rodri in good spirits when he spoke to the Manchester City midfielder following his surgery.

Stones rang the Spaniard up on Sunday after the Newcastle game before the team then trained and flew to Bratislava for their Champions League campaign. Rodri will not be with the group after suffering a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, with surgery putting him out for the season.

It is an enormous blow for Pep Guardiola and City as they strive for success, but also a major disappointment for a footballer who has worked his way to the top of his profession and was pushing to win the Ballon d’Or. The Blues will have to adjust to life with Rodri, and Rodri will have to accept that he won’t be able to play football for the best part of a year.

Despite the obvious sadness, Stones found Rodri to be positive when he spoke to his teammate at the weekend. City know how important the 28-year-old is for them but cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves.

“He was in good spirits, he’s knows what has happened, knows the process back, he’s come to terms with it,” said Stones. “I’m glad to hear him in good spirits. He’s with his family, taking time to relax and recover as best he can.

“It’s sad because the standard that he’s set over the past few seasons has been incredible. We know what a key player he has been for us and we’ve got now to look forward to him coming back. Hopefully coming back quickly. (But we’ve) a lot of quality and a lot of players that are more than capable of filling in in that position.”