In a press conference this Friday, the coach of the Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, confirmed the thigh injury of defender Rúben Dias, who will be out of the team for up to a month and a half. With that, he will be absent in the classic against the Manchester United this Sunday and should miss Portugal in the repechage for the world Cup at the end of the month.
“Rúben Dias will stop for four to six weeks. I’d love to have him, but he’s not here. I will not cry. It is what it is. We have good players available. We have between 14 and 15 players. With them, we will fight to play well,” Guardiola said.
PEP ???? Yes, muscular…hamstring. [Dias injury]
Four to six weeks, yeah.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 4, 2022
Essential in the Spanish coach’s scheme, Rúben Dias was named the best player in the 2020/2021 Premier League and played in 34 matches out of the 40 played by City this season.
The 24-year-old defender was injured in the team’s 2-0 victory over England’s second division Peterborough in the FA Cup last Tuesday. At the time, the Portuguese felt the muscle injury in the first half and was substituted at halftime.
Aside from the Manchester derby, Rúben Dias is also unlikely to be fit on March 24, when Portugal faces Turkey in the World Cup play-off. If they win the duel, the Portuguese will face Italy or North Macedonia, on the 29th, for a spot in the Qatar Cup.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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