‘He has EVERYTHING, he has the attributes’: £64m summer arrival Ruben Dias will be the answer to Pep Guardiola’s defensive problems, believes former City centre back Richard Dunne
- Pep Guardiola has spent more than £400m on defenders in the last four years
- Ruben Dias made his debut in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United
- Former City defender Richard Dunne thought Dias was ‘excellent’ at Elland Road
After spending more than £400million on defenders in the past four years, former Manchester City captain Richard Dunne believes Pep Guardiola has finally found someone who can live up to the price tag in Ruben Dias.
Dias cost a club record £64m from Benfica, taking Guardiola’s spending on defenders to a staggering £413.2m. The Portuguese centre back made his debut in City’s 1-1 draw with Leeds on Saturday, and Dunne was impressed with what he saw.
‘I thought he was excellent,’ Dunne told the club’s official website.
Former Manchester City captain Richard Dunne said Ruben Dias (pictured) can be ‘really pleased with how he has begun his career’ after making his debut in City’s 1-1 draw at Leeds
‘He was excellent without being spectacular. He wasn’t amazing coming forward with the ball, but that’s not what we’re looking for.
‘We’re looking at his defensive attributes. In terms of that, he did everything simple. He played safely and I think he’ll be really pleased with how he has begun his career.’
Dias worked his way up to captain at Benfica and made his international debut with Portugal at the age of just 21. He’s already made 19 appearances for his country, and was included in their 2018 World Cup squad.
Guardiola signed Dias with one eye on the future, but the composure in which he handled his debut has Dunne believing that he can handle the pressure, as long as the City boss is patient with him.
Dias has made 19 appearances for Portugal, and was selected in their 2018 World Cup squad
Dunne (pictured) made 352 appearances for Manchester City across a 10-year spell at the club
‘He’s played for a huge club in Benfica previously,’ Dunne added.
‘He looks confident, he looks serious, he looks like he wants to win and it is about taking that and producing it on the pitch.
‘It’s not always going to be perfect because there are bedding in periods for all players and the Premier League is a lot quicker than the Portuguese league so it will be difficult at times. He has everything, he has all the attributes, so we need to give him time.’
City face Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium following the international break as they look to right the wrongs of their last home league game where they were beaten 5-2 by Leicester City.