Man City defender Ruben Dias to miss up to 4 weeks because of muscle injury

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City's troubled season was dealt another blow Friday with confirmation that defender Ruben Dias will be out for up to four weeks because of a muscle injury.

Four-time defending Premier League champion City has lost eight and won just one of its last 11 games in all competitions.

Manager Pep Guardiola has cited injuries to key players such as Rodri as a factor in his team's troubles and the loss of Dias compounds his problems.

Guardiola said Dias' injury occurred during Sunday's 2-1 loss to Manchester United.

“After 75 minutes against United he felt something. He’s strong and wanted to stay on the pitch, but now he’s injured,” Guardiola told a news conference.

Goalkeeper Ederson is also a doubt for Saturday's game against Aston Villa, he said, but John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Manuel Akanji could feature. Rico Lewis is available again after suspension.

"The more players that come back the better,” Guardiola said.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer