Despite the exits of club legends such as Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker this summer, Manchester City still have plenty of world-class players at their disposal.
Erling Haaland’s name instantly springs to mind, as he has etched his reputation as one of the most devastating strikers in Europe since his move to the Etihad Stadium in 2022.
Rodri was described as “irreplaceable” by Pep Guardiola and considering he won the Ballon d’Or last year, he was widely recognised as the standout player in world football before an ACL injury halted his ascent.
Ruben Dias, who is set to extend his contract at Manchester City by agreeing to pen a new deal in principle has also cemented his status as one of the world’s best defenders over the years.
Man City reckon Ruben Dias is the best defender in the Premier League
During the upcoming season, Ruben Dias will be expected to have a season to remember considering how leaky City’s defence was during the 2024/2025 campaign.
However, in the FIFA Club World Cup, Dias struggled against Al-Hilal as City were knocked out of the competition but being the elite player he is, the Portuguese centre-back will likely return to his best at the start of the season.
Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland, Josko Gvardiol and Rayan Ait-Nouri during Manchester City v Al-Hilal.
Photo by Elsa – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
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Our transfer expert Graeme Bailey revealed that Manchester City have full faith in the 28-year-old, who they deem as the Premier League’s best defender — prompting them to hand him a new contract.
“Dias is a stalwart of this City side – the spine they have with Rodri too, with [Bernardo] Silva and [Erling] Haaland, he really is a key figure now both on and off the field.”
“I am told that Dias does take his senior position very seriously and he is a major influence on young members of the squad. His new deal has been a no-brainer for the club. As a club, they don’t think there is a better defender the Premier League.”
Ruben Dias stats compared to Virgil van Dijk and William Saliba
Dias, who Manchester City signed for £65 million transformed the Sky Blues’ defence upon his arrival in 2020 and since then, he has been one of the Premier League’s standout centre-backs.
However, last season, City’s defence largely struggled and the former Benfica colossus seemed powerless to stop them from crumbling at the back.
Alongside Virgil van Dijk and William Saliba, the City defender is widely considered the best in the business in English football.
STATS PER 90 RUBEN DIAS WILLIAM SALIBA VIRGIL VAN DIJK
TACKLES 0.73 1.76 0.95
INTERCEPTIONS 0.86 0.69 1.36
BLOCKS 0.93 0.74 0.78
AERIALS WON 1.52 1.74 2.85
PROGRESSIVE PASSES 5.85 3.8 5.05
PASS COMPLETION 90.5% 93.9% 91.7%
Over the past 365 days
Based on the stats, one can see why Dias is comparable to both players.
However, next season, Manchester City will be hoping that their number three stands out more than Van Dijk and Saliba as they aim to win the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola compared Dias to Vincent Kompany in terms of his leadership and alongside captain Bernardo Silva, he will be determined to lead from the front and remind the world why City remain a force to be reckoned with.