Manchester City defender Ruben Dias has reportedly been ruled out for up to a month with a thigh injury that he suffered at the World Cup with Portugal.
The 25-year-old sustained the injury in the last-16 victory over Switzerland, but played through the pain barrier in the quarter-final against Morocco, when the Selecao were ultimately eliminated after a 1-0 defeat.
The Daily Mail reports that the defender will miss at least the next five games for Pep Guardiola's side, meaning that he will miss the double-header against Chelsea in the league and FA Cup and faces a race against time to be fit for the Manchester derby against arch-rivals Manchester United on January 14.
Other matches that he is expected to miss include Premier League clashes with Leeds United, Everton and the EFL Cup quarter-final against Southampton.
The report states that Dias is desperate to prove his fitness for the clash with United at Old Trafford and that the club's defence crisis has been eased by the return of Kyle Walker, meaning that centre-backs do not have to act as makeshift right-backs.
The Portugal international is one of the club's five captains in their leadership ground and has made 12 Premier League and five Champions League appearances so far this season, scoring one goal.
