Struggling Premier League champions Manchester City have suffered a huge blow in defense, with head coach Pep Guardiola confirming that Ruben Dias is set to miss the festive run-in, Soccernet.football reports.
Dias sustained an injury during last Sunday’s Manchester derby loss but completed the full match. Having already missed seven games this season due to a calf injury, he has made 13 Premier League appearances so far.
The Portuguese defender is expected to miss the festive fixtures, with Guardiola confirming that the defender will be sidelined for a relatively lengthy amount of time.
“He’s out for a long time. Three or four weeks – muscular issue,” Guardiola said as quoted by 90Mins.
“[He played] 75 minutes against United and felt something, but he is so strong, so stayed on the pitch and is now injured.”
City’s injury woes have played a significant role in their shockingly abysmal form this season, with the reigning champions of England recording eight defeats in their last eleven games across all competitions.
In addition to Dias, the Cityzens are currently without the likes of Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake. Despite the seemingly gloomy circumstances, Guardiola appeared to be in a much more positive mood than last weekend.
“We’d just finished a game that we lost in the circumstances, and I was not happy,” he said.
“I try to be honest about the feelings of my teams. We fell down six times [number of Premier League games without a win], we have to stand up seven. There is no alternative.
“I’m fine. I’m a normal person with feelings like all of us. When the situation is going well, we are better, but it’s normal. I would not go to the press conference if we were 1-0 up and expressing something that I didn’t feel.”