John Obi Mikel has claimed that one of Manchester City’s star players is “not the same” as he once was.
The Citizens will be eager to get back to the levels they were reaching just a couple of years ago, but they haven’t started the season in the right way.
Manchester City have lost two of their three Premier League games so far and, on top of that, they also have a multitude of injury worries.
John Obi Mikel has now claimed that one of the players City could once rely on is a shadow of the player he used to be.
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Ruben Dias in action during Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
John Obi Mikel says Ruben Dias is not the player he used to be
The player in question is Ruben Dias, once one of City’s undisputed stars but now struggling for the most part.
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Dias has been out of form for a while now, making errors and struggling when it comes to high line defending and aerial challenges.
Mikel, speaking on the Obi One podcast, said he feels John Stones is City’s best defender, while Dias is not the player he used to be.
“For me, the best defender right now for City is John Stones,” said the former Chelsea star. “I absolutely love when Stones plays the way he plays.
“Ruben Dias is not the guy any more. He’s not that guy. When he came into the football club the first one, two seasons, he’s not the same. He’s not the same.”
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What Manchester City should now do with Ruben Dias
Dias has done enough at City to warrant being labelled a club legend, and his efforts in his first few seasons were nothing short of spectacular.
However, Dias’ form has deserted him for a while now and, at some point, people start wondering whether he will ever get back to his highest levels.
What City should now do – once the injury situation eases – is give Dias some time out of the starting XI in order for the coaches to figure out what he needs to do to get back to his best.
The £65million man suffered injuries last season and, with the busy schedule the club has had this year, maybe he hasn’t had time to recover fully.
City clearly think Dias still has a lot to offer the club, considering they gave him a new contract, and Virgil van Dijk famously returned to form after a lengthy spell of bad form.
However, Dias is struggling for now and, as such, he should be replaced as a starter once the injury crisis eases.