A couple of big names have returned to training for Manchester City ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game with Wolves.
Pep Guardiola‘s side will go in search of three more points, as they welcome a Wolves side who have performed well above expectations this season.
With Arsenal looking very strong, City may well need to be perfect in their final four games. After Wolves, it’s Fulham, then Tottenham Hotspur, and then West Ham United on the final day.
It is a tricky set of fixtures to finish. But fans are optimistic – City have been here before, and tend to finish seasons stronger than they start them.
Pep has recently had a few absences to contend with. Last weekend against Nottingham Forest, the Spaniard was without arguably his most influential player this season Phil Foden, who was ill.
He was also missing Ruben Dias, but the central defender looks as though he’ll be back this weekend…
Ruben Dias confirms on social media he’s back in training for Manchester City
In the absence of Dias against Nottingham Forest, Pep fielded Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji as his centre-backs, and the pair had very good games.
The Reds did have quite a few chances. But Ake and Akanji were both fairly solid, and it was the same story against Brighton days earlier, when Dias was on the bench
It is fair to say that City have some really good cover when the Portuguese isn’t playing. But many City fans would probably still say the defence is at its most solid when he’s in there.
It looks as though Dias will be back available again for the game against Wolves, with the £180,000-a-week man taking to social media yesterday.
He uploaded a picture of himself on his Instagram Story in training gear and wrote the word ‘Back’.
And there looks to be a double boost, with Foden also sharing some training snaps. The 23-year-old missed the win over Forest due to illness.
Dias return is fantastic news
As good as Ake and Akanji have been in the last two games, the return of Dias is a big boost for City.
The 26-year-old is a leader of men and will have an important role to play in these final four league games. Indeed, Rico Lewis recently stated that he thinks Dias is one of the best leaders in the world.
Dias maybe hasn’t been at his best level this term. But he’s still been operating at high standards, with fbref data indicating he has an incredibly high pass completion rate of 93.6%. He’s also got a rate of 72% of dribbles tackled.
And surprisingly, he hasn’t picked up a single yellow card so far in the league.