Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has been a sore miss for Manchester City this season. The Spaniard has been sidelined since September with a knee injury.
When Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in just his second Premier League appearance of the season, Pep Guardiola would’ve been fearing the worst for his Manchester City side. And he’d have been right to do so.
Something about Rodri’s absence has just made City’s season that much worse. Guardiola has tried and somewhat failed to replace his presence in midfield, spending £50million to sign Nico from Porto in January.
Man City fans were impressed with Nico early on but the Spaniard has since put in some mixed displays in the Premier League. Now though, thankfully, the March international break is upon us and it’s a time for Pep to take stock and for Rodri to continue on his road to recovery.
Guardiola has suggested that Rodri may even return before the end of this campaign in what would be a remarkable recovery given the extent of his injury.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Ruben Dias is Manchester City’s hardest trainer, says Rodri
Speaking on a TikTok with JD Sports, Rodri was asked some quickfire questions about his Manchester City teammates, including who is the player who trains harder than everybody else at the club. He named Portuguese centre-back Ruben Dias as that player.
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Man City signed Dias from Benfica in a £65million deal back in 2020. Since, the 27-year-old has made an impressive 206 total appearances for the club with four goals along the way, lifting the Premier League title in each of his first four seasons at the Etihad.
Dias has also helped City to win a League Cup, FA Cup, Club World Cup, and a Champions League title.
Ruben Dias stance on signing new Manchester City contract
Dias is out of contract in the summer of 2027. Although not a pressing issue, Guardiola may be keen to tie down Dias as part of the longer-term vision at City, with the club set to undergo some major changes in personnel this summer.
And thankfully for Guardiola and City fans, reports earlier in March revealed that Dias is open to signing a new Man City contract, though talks over a new deal have been tabled as the club works on deals for other players such a Erling Haaland.
So far this season, Dias has featured 17 times in the Premier League, with the City vice-captain a nailed on starter for the upcoming Premier League clash against Brighton.