Manchester City centre-back Ruben Dias has been pictured back on the grass ahead of the game against Tottenham this weekend.
The Portuguese international has not played since losing to Spurs in the Carabao Cup last month after picking up a calf injury.
However, it appears Dias is winning his battle to be fit for City’s next fixture on Saturday evening and fans on X are happy that he could be available for selection:
Win streak about to start.
— Homboi Paggy (@Paggy1_) November 19, 2024
Happy so see him back to the training ground
— Josseymighty🌷💫 (@josseymighty77) November 19, 2024
We about to see prime Diaz again
— City.Hotspot (@City_Hotspot) November 19, 2024
Ruben is fully prepared and eager to take on the challenges ahead! 💪 Let’s make every moment count.
— 𝔸𝔻𝕀𝕋𝕐𝔸 🅹︎🅾︎🆄︎🆁︎🅽︎🅰︎🅻︎🅸︎🆂︎🆃︎ (@tripathi4885) November 19, 2024
He gotta fix our defense
— EchevEra (@Matt_EchevEra) November 19, 2024
We need him more than ever.
— Magudeeswaran (@magudeeswaran_n) November 19, 2024
City have struggled to keep centre-backs fit
Heading into the international break, the Premier League champions had four of their five centre-halves on the sidelines.
John Stones (foot), Manuel Akanji (adductor) and Nathan Ake (hamstring) had also sustained injuries, in addition to Dias.
It meant that manager Pep Guardiola was forced into starting Jahmai Simpson-Pusey against Sporting Lisbon and Brighton. The youngster performed admirably but City still lost both fixtures, conceding six goals in the process. Dias’s return will undoubtedly help the team defensively.
Will other players return after the international break
There are currently 10 players on the treatment table (including Dias) and there is hope that Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and (potentially) Akanji will be in line to play versus Spurs.
The Cityzens will want to have as many players back fit as soon as possible as they will also play league leaders Liverpool at the start of next month.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
