As Pep Guardiola continues to experience his worst season ever in Manchester City, his woes have compounded after he confirmed that Portugal central defender Ruben Dias will not feature in three or four weeks after sustaining a muscle injury.
The Portugal international sustained the injury during the defending champions game against Manchester on Saturday, losing 2-1. He will be out of matches during the Yuletide period and will likely not play in the FA Cup third round against Salford on January 11th.
It is yet to be known if he will be going to Paris St-Germain on 22 January for an important Champions League game.
This is coming after he had already missed seven games this season due to a calf injury, making him a new addition to the defensive injury list that has John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, and Kyle Walker.
Ballon d’Or winner Rodri will also not feature in the remaining games in the season due to a cruciate knee ligament injury that he is battling with.
City’s manager also confirmed that midfielder Mateo Kovacic, Stones, and Akanji have trained this week and could play their next match, but it is yet to be sure if goalkeeper Ederson will be fit for the game.
The coach continues to play young players like Nico O’Reilly and James McAtee, a development that has raised concern despite winning only one in the last 11 matches.
Guardiola, despite all his experiences, claims that he is not one who enjoys buying players in January, but the case may change as the club intends to sign someone due to the current challenges facing the team.