Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has claimed that although the injury to Ruben Dias is ‘a blow’ for Manchester City, he does not see it as a ‘massive problem’.
It has been reported that Dias encountered a problem with his thigh during Portugal’s last-16 victory over Switzerland in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but continued to play during the tournament.
The central defender has not trained with City since his return from the tournament, and Football Insider have now reported that he is set to spend a month on the sidelines.
Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson has claimed that although the injury to Dias is ‘a blow’, Pep Guardiola will not see it as a ‘massive problem’, as he has not been a regular starter under the Spaniard this season:
“In truth, he has not played that much this season.
“He has not been a regular starter anyway. They have so much strength in depth in that position.
“[Nathan] Ake has done really well this season. He surprised me in the World Cup as well. [Aymeric] Laporte, John Stones and [Manuel] Akanji have also all played. There is some serious competition for those two centre-half positions.
“Look, the injury to Dias is a blow, make no mistake about it. But, we have to recognise that he has not been a regular starter for them this season.
“I don’t think Guardiola will see it as a massive problem. It will not give him any major headaches unless there are other injuries in that area.”
There is no doubt that Dias has been a key player for City, helping them win two Premier League titles, but he has only started nine top-flight games so far this season.
Guardiola brought in Manuel Akanji as a new signing from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, while he also has the likes of John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake that he can call upon at centre-back.
Nonetheless, City still have the third-best defensive record in the Premier League, so should be able to cope without Dias for a month or so if that is how long he will be out for.
Source: footballtransfertavern.com
