Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that key centre-back Ruben Dias will be out for between three and four weeks with a muscular injury he suffered against Manchester United last weekend.
The 27-year-old came through the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 loss to the Red Devils, but it has now been revealed that he sustained an injury with around 15 minutes of normal time remaining.
Dias was able to play through the pain at the Etihad, but the Portugal international will now need to lie on the recovery table for up to a month, depleting Man City's already ravaged defensive resources further.
"Ruben is out for a long time," Guardiola said at his pre-game press conference. "Three or four weeks. Muscular. [He played] 75 minutes against United. He felt something but he is so strong and wanted to stay on the pitch."
Dias has already missed four matches with a calf injury this season, and Man City lost all of those clashes, going down to Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and being slain by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.
How many games will Dias miss?
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In the worst-case scenario, Dias missing four weeks from now could render the Portugal international unavailable for at least seven and potentially as many as eight matches across the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
The faltering Premier League champions must cope without Dias for Saturday lunchtime's top-flight battle with Aston Villa, in addition to meetings with Everton and Leicester City before the end of the year.
Man City's first game of 2025 comes at home to West Ham United on January 4, which Dias should also sit out, and the FA Cup clash with Salford City on January 11 - which he may have been rested for anyway - should come too soon as well.
If Dias is to spend a full month out, he is also likely to sit out clashes against Brentford (January 14) and Ipswich Town (January 19) before potentially targeting a return against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on January 22.
The 27-year-old should therefore not miss any Premier League matches against fellow Big Six clubs - City's next such meeting is at home to Chelsea on January 25 - unless there are unforeseen complications further down the line.
Will Man City have any players back for Villa clash?
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Dias joins Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg) and Nathan Ake (thigh) as one of four City players who will definitely miss Saturday's game, and Guardiola could not guarantee that Ederson would be available either.
However, one of Manuel Akanji or John Stones might be able to step in for Dias in defence, Guardiola announced, adding: "Manuel and John are back in training. That is good for us.
"As many players that are back the better. I don't know yet [if they can start against Aston Villa]. Yesterday was their first training session, I would say, properly. They have been out for a while."
Stones and Akanji could represent two of three returning players for the champions this weekend, as Rico Lewis is back from suspension after his red card against Crystal Palace a fortnight ago.
If neither Stones nor Akanji are fit to start this weekend, Kyle Walker and Josko Gvardiol could pair up at the back, with Lewis and Matheus Nunes potentially deputising in the full-back areas.
Ben Knapton
