Manchester City are facing a nervous wait to discover the extent of Rodri's injury ahead of their Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening. 

City cruised to a 3-1 win over Swansea City in the FA Cup on Wednesday night courtesy of strikes from Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, but it wasn't a totally perfect evening for Pep Guardiola. 

The ever-present Rodri was forced off in the 72nd minute due to injury though the severity of his problem remains unclear. 

Speaking in the aftermath of the victory, Guardiola didn't appear to express too much concern but remained coy on the situation.

"I didn’t speak with him [Rodri] but the doctor didn't tell me anything.

“Hopefully, he will be fit. We will see in the next hours.

“He’s playing really well. His presence, his personality. He is playing really well, like the last few weeks. He has [played well] all season, I would say.”

Rodri has started 20 of City's 22 Premier League games this season and firmly cemented his place at the base of Guardiola's free-flowing midfield, patrolling the lines with a renewed sense of authority. 

The Spain international was once a much-maligned figure amongst the City supporters but his quality has particularly come to the fore since Ilkay Gundogan was pushed forward into an advanced role. 

His potential absence for the weekend clash against Spurs represents a notable problem for the title-chasing outfit, and discussion regarding the best solution was rife following the FA Cup victory. 

While talking to supporters in his post-match Q&A column on The Athletic, respected City journalist Sam Lee suggested that Guardiola should reinstate Gundogan into a more conservative holding position in the event of Rodri's absence.  

"I think best option is Gundogan at DM with Bernardo and Foden. Not ideal as it brings Gundogan and Foden further from goal but it's the best solution I can think of (obviously Pep can think of more!)."

GIVEMESPORT's Jack Saville says...

This is an unenviable conundrum for Guardiola to unpick. 

Gundogan's license to attack has been a catalyst for a relentless run of form that has seen City topple a domestic record for consecutive victories, end their interminable Anfield hoodoo and establish themselves as firm favourites for the Premier League title. 

Not only has the Germany international embarked on a scintillating run of individual form, his performances appear to have had a positive knock-on effect on the likes of Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Rodri.

The overall balance of the team has unquestionably improved following Gundogan's move into an advanced midfield role, so it will certainly pain Guardiola to force him back into a holding position when he faces his longstanding nemesis Jose Mourinho. 

However, he is the player who is most familiar with the demands of the pivot role, and any decision that saw John Stones, Joao Cancelo or even Oleksandr Zinchenko step into Rodri's shoes would represent a major gamble against the last side to beat City this season. 

Though it will pain City fans (and many FPL players) to see Gundogan operating with the shackles on once again, it's by far the most obvious and natural option if Rodri is absent at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.