Manchester City’s Dias Ruled Out For Weeks

Manchester City have been dealt another injury setback, with manager Pep Guardiola confirming that Portuguese defender Ruben Dias will be sidelined for “three or four weeks” due to a muscle injury.

Dias sustained the injury during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United and will miss the entire festive fixtures, including the FA Cup third-round tie against Salford on January 11.

The 27-year-old is also in a race against time to recover for City’s pivotal Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on January 22.

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This marks another challenging spell for Dias, who has already missed seven matches this season with a calf injury. City’s defensive unit has been plagued by injuries, with John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, and Kyle Walker all facing time on the sidelines at various stages.

Recall that Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has been ruled out for the remainder of the  season following a cruciate knee ligament injury.

“It’s a muscular problem, and he’ll be out for three to four weeks,” Guardiola confirmed. “After 75 minutes against United, he felt something but wanted to stay on the pitch. Now he’s injured.”

On a brighter note, Guardiola revealed that Stones, Akanji, and midfielder Mateo Kovacic have returned to training and could feature in Saturday’s match against Aston Villa (12:30 GMT). However, goalkeeper Ederson remains a doubt due to ongoing leg issues.

“Ederson has been struggling with some niggles in his leg; he doesn’t feel completely fine,” said Guardiola. “He’s so important for us.”

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City, currently enduring a difficult spell with just one win in their last 11 games, have also faced questions about their limited use of youngsters James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly. Despite rejecting loan offers for both players, McAtee has only made two late substitute appearances, and O’Reilly is yet to debut in the league.

Guardiola hinted the duo will remain at the club for the rest of the season, stating, “I don’t think so,” when asked about potential January departures. While the manager is “not a big fan” of January transfers, he acknowledged the unique circumstances of this season might prompt the club to make a move in the market.

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