Manchester Metropolis centre-back Ruben Dias has been noticed again in coaching after a spell on the sidelines by damage, together with his potential return coming forward of a vital run of fixtures.
Dias has been nursing a muscular situation for the previous month, final showing within the membership’s late defeat to metropolis rivals Manchester United in mid-December. Metropolis loved a mini-revival after Christmas, stringing collectively three consecutive victories with performances that weren’t all fully convincing, earlier than falling to a calamitous 2-2 draw with Brentford on Tuesday evening.
Metropolis led 2-0 on the Gtech Group Stadium with lower than ten minutes remaining however nonetheless conspired to emerge with out all three factors. The defending champions have already shipped 29 league targets – as many as Arsenal conceded throughout everything of final season.
On the time of Dias’ absence, Pep Guardiola predicted that he could be with out his centre-back for “three or 4 weeks”. That tough restoration interval has elapsed and the imposing defender participated in first-team coaching on Wednesday with the gamers who did not begin the draw with Brentford.
Dias’ arrival can’t come quickly sufficient for Metropolis. The Sky Blues journey to newly promoted Ipswich City on Sunday earlier than venturing to the French capital for a vital Champions League tie towards Paris Saint-Germain. Each trendy European giants are flirting with the distinct chance on failing to qualify for the competitors’s knockout levels.
After that continental conflict, Metropolis return to home duties with a go to from high-flying Chelsea on Saturday, 25 January.
Guardiola has at all times maintained that the straightforward answer to Metropolis’s fragility would at all times be a return to health for his fleet of injured gamers. Dias has been sharing the remedy room with fellow first-choice centre-back John Stones and the reigning Ballon d’Or holder Rodri.
Apart from relying solely upon the membership’s medical division, Metropolis have turned to the switch market in a bid to strengthen their backline.
Abdukodir Khusanov is poised to reach from Lens and a deal has additionally been agreed for Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis. The younger centre-backs have a mixed age of 39 and can seemingly command a sum within the area of £70m between them.