Ruben Dias will be available for Manchester City on Saturday after recovering from a concussion.
City have made a decent start to the new season, beating Burnley 3-0 in their opening Premier League game before lifting the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday after a penalty shootout victory against Sevilla.
However, one notable absentee from both matches was centre-back Dias, with his presence sorely missed against the Spanish side in Piraeus.
Thankfully for Pep Guardiola, the 26-year-old Portugal international will be available for City’s Premier League home opener against Newcastle on Saturday evening.
Dias set to return
Dias missed both the Burnley and Sevilla matches due to a concussion he suffered in training on Wednesday, 9 August.
FA protocols dictate a seven-day step-by-step guide to reintroducing players back into contact training, ruling Dias out of both games and limiting his participation in training.
According to Daily Mail journalist Jack Gaughan, Dias trained on the eve of the Super Cup final despite not being named in City’s travelling squad.
Due to the protocol, Dias – once described by Guardiola as “incredible” – did not head a ball during the session.
Gaughan also reported that Dias completed the warm-up on Wednesday evening and was even named among the substitutes, although Guardiola never had any intention of bringing him on.
Now that Dias has completed the FA protocol and is feeling fine, he will be available for the visit of Newcastle on Saturday.
Timely boosts for City
Everyone is talking about the impact Kevin de Bruyne’s four-month injury lay-off will have on City, but the boost the returns of Dias and John Stones will give shouldn’t be understated.
City’s defence tends to look a little disorganised whenever Dias doesn’t play and that was certainly the case against Sevilla.
Youssef En-Nesyri headed the Spaniards in front after managing to find space inside the box between Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol.
Guardiola’s side were also caught on the break on numerous occasions, something that rarely happens when Dias is present.
Stones – who was also named on the bench in Piraeus – will likely resume his midfield role after Manuel Akanji struggled as his replacement.
