Phil Foden and Rico Lewis react as Ruben Dias shares training update at Man City
Ruben Dias shared an update from the training ground as Man City prepare for their next Premier League clash against Brighton on Saturday.
The Portuguese defender has been in and out of Pep Guardiola‘s squad all season, missing several games through injury, but he looks prepared to face the Seagulls on 15 March.
Despite a massive setback for Man City in the form of a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last time out, City are still hoping to finish in the top-four spots this season and qualify for the Champions League.
John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji are all currently sidelined Man City defenders, with two of them undergoing surgery, so Guardiola needs to know he can rely on his most experienced centre-half.
Ruben Dias preparing for important Brighton clash
Taking to Instagram [13 March], Dias shared images of himself in a training session alongside the caption: “Working,” with a battery and sun emojis as he attempts to stay fit for Guardiola.
Teammates Abdukodir Khusanov, Phil Foden, Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis all liked the post, seeing one of their leaders back on the pitch and clearly enjoying himself.
Pep Guardiola struggling to undergo Man City comeback
The reigning Premier League champions have suffered far too many setbacks this season, the most important being losing Rodri in September, and fans have no idea how to deal with the situation.
This could be Guardiola’s final season at City, and while many are praying for his legacy not to be over, nothing he has done this season has managed to turn the campaign around.
| Premier League standings | Points |
| 4. Chelsea | 49 |
| 5. Man City | 47 |
| 6. Newcastle | 47 |
| 7. Brighton | 46 |
| 8. Aston Villa | 45 |
| 9. Bournemouth | 44 |
Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Brighton, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Fulham are all fighting for the Champions League spots, which makes City’s chances of missing out much higher.
Man City have not played outside of the Champions League since the 2010/11 campaign, battling away in the Europa League instead, and fans will be in no rush to return to the competition.
Falling down into the Europa League ahead of next season, or worse, would likely raise questions over whether Guardiola is the person to take Man City forward.