Manchester City will be without one of their key stars for their highly anticipated clash against Liverpool on April 10.
Manchester Evening News are reporting centre back Ruben Dias will miss the pivotal clash as well as both legs of their Champions League quarter-final against La Liga champions Atletico Madrid.
Dias suffered a hamstring injury a month ago in the FA Cup fifth round against Peterborough, and while the club doctors initially thought it would be a four to six week return for the Portuguese international, he is predicted to spend at least 10 more days on the sidelines.
This comes as a huge blow to Man City ahead of their game against Liverpool, who were in red hot form before the international break.
Dias is a supreme defender, with his overall quality bettered only by Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League.
His impact was clear to see when he joined Pep Guardiola’s team in 2020, going on the take back the title that season after Liverpool claimed it the year prior.
Overall, Dias could be forced to miss four very important fixtures for City, with a game against Burnley this weekend also a key match in which they can continue to rack up points.
This injury could have huge ramifications for the title this season, and while City can still rely on Aymeric Laporte and John Stones, neither have the same inimitable impact as Dias does for them.