£62M BUY DIAS WHAT CITY NEED
Ruben will plug gaps for Pep says pal
RUBEN Dias will totally transform the Man City defence.
That’s the view of Jose Fonte who knows English footy well thanks to his time at Southampton.
He plays alongside Pep’s £62m signing for the Portugal national team.
And he believes Dias is just the player City need.
Fonte said: “Ruben is one of my favourite young centrebacks.
“He’s only 23, but he shows great maturity.
“He has a great work ethic. He wants to learn, he wants to improve. He observes the great defenders, he’s interested in knowing the game.
So, for me, it’s a great acquisition for Manchester City. They’re getting a top, top player, who wants to get better and better and that’s very important.
“He’s humble. He’s very, very skilful with the ball at his feet. He has a good pass between the lines. He reads the game well, he attacks the ball well in the air. He’s strong in the duels.
“They’re getting a very good player. I have no doubt he’s ready; he’s been playing at the highest level for the last two, three years.
“He starts every game for the national team, as well. He has a young body, but an older mind.
“So I think he’s ready. He’s going to be excited to show what he’s capable of.
“If Manchester City need him right now, they can use him.”
Struggling
One thing City fans are asking for is a leader at the back. That seemed obvious when Leicester put an unlikely five past them at the Etihad on Sunday.
They missed Vincent Kompany big-time last season and Fonte is backing Dias to add plenty of steel to Pep’s struggling back line.
He added: “He leads by example. Like I said, he is a hard-working boy, he’s always in the gym wanting to get better. He takes care of what he eats, he’s very, very talkative.
“He likes to communicate, that’s one thing I like about him. He talks a lot.
“He gives instructions, he commands from the back and that’s very important for a defender. So he’s already a leader.”
With Dias on his way, that spells the end of City’s pursuit of Kalidou Koulibaly.
Guardiola was keen to bring the Napoli stopper to the Etihad but the Italians priced him out by asking as much as £80m for the 29-year-old.