Manchester City centre-back Ruben Dias has been spotted back in training after a spell on the sidelines Injurywith his possible return coming before a crucial series of games.
Dias has been struggling with muscle problems over the past month, most recently appearing in the club’s late defeat to city rivals Manchester United in mid-December. City enjoyed a bit of a revival after Christmas, picking up three wins in a row with underwhelming performances before a disastrous 2-2 draw with Brentford on Tuesday night.
City led 2-0 with less than ten minutes left at the Gtech Community Stadium but still managed to come out of the game without all three points. The defending champions have already scored 29 league goals – as many as Arsenal conceded in all of last season.
At the time of Dias’ absence, Pep Guardiola predicted he would be without his centre-back for “three or four weeks”. This difficult recovery period is over and the imposing defender took part in first team training on Wednesday with the players who were not in the starting XI with Brentford.
For City, Dias’ arrival can’t come soon enough. The Sky Blues travel to newly promoted Ipswich Town on Sunday before heading to the French capital for an important Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain. Both modern European giants are flirting with the possibility of failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
Following this continental clash, City return to domestic duties with a visit to league leaders Chelsea on Saturday 25 January.
Guardiola has always maintained that the simple solution to City’s weakness would always be to get their injured players fit. Dias shared the treatment room with fellow centre-back John Stones and reigning Ballon d’Or holder Rodri.
As well as relying solely on the club’s medical department, City have also turned to the transfer market to bolster their defence.
Abdukodir Khusanov is expected to join from Lens and a deal has also been agreed for Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis. The young centre-backs are a combined 39 years old and are believed to command a combined sum of around £70 million.