Manchester City adds new star to the list of its injured players this season

Manchester City faces another scare in their defensive lineup, as Ruben Dias has been sidelined for up to a month due to a muscular issue. 

This adds to the series of obstacles that Pep Guardiola and the team have navigated this season. Despite these setbacks, the squad is showing resilience as they work to regain their form and climb back up the Premier League standings, currently sitting at 5th place, and improve their position in the UEFA Champions League.

Manchester City is going through a rough patch, having secured just one victory in their last 11 matches. This includes a troubling series of eight losses, with particularly disastrous performances against Sporting, Tottenham, and Manchester United.

Rodri and Oscar Bobb remain the longest-term absentees, sidelined due to a double knee injury and a leg bone fracture, respectively. However, the situation has been exacerbated by persistent issues affecting Nathan Ake, John Stones, and several other players across the squad, raising serious concerns about their overall fitness and performance.

Manchester City received a boost this week with the return of Manuel Akanji and John Stones to first-team training, raising hopes that they could be available for the upcoming match against Aston Villa. However, the situation has been complicated by a new injury, further impacting the team.

Pep Guardiola provides update about the injury 

During his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon at the City Football Academy, Pep Guardiola delivered a stark assessment of the team's defensive injury crisis, with Ruben Dias now the latest player to face a setback.

“Ruben (Dias) is out for a long time. Ederson, I don’t know if he will be ready tomorrow,” Pep Guardiola told the media as part of a passing conversation on a wider subject. He continued, “And we have to continue, it’s the only thing we have to do.” he said.

“But he’s so strong hand he wanted to stay on the pitch and now he’s injured,” Pep added.

Manchester City is set to travel to Villa Park this weekend to take on Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. The team is determined to put an end to their troubling run of form and secure a crucial three points to reignite their season.