New Man City signings desperate to win - Dias

Ruben Dias says Manchester City's summer arrivals are "desperate to win" and that the squad has embraced the ideas of new manager Enzo Maresca, as the club enjoy a perfect start to the campaign.

WHAT HAPPENED
Dias, recently handed the captaincy by Maresca, told The Football Interview that many established winners have left but were replaced by ambitious new players. He said those newcomers, alongside long-serving winners at the club, create a productive mix: "They are joining and full of ambition and with all the dreams in the world. The mix of these makes it work."

KEY CONTEXT
Manchester City spent a Premier League record £458m during the recent transfer window. Incoming players included midfield trio Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi. The club recouped more than £300m in sales and lost experienced figures such as 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, former captain Bernardo Silva and England international John Stones.

Managerial change
Pep Guardiola stepped down after 10 years in charge and was replaced by Maresca, who had been Guardiola's assistant at the Etihad before spells at Leicester City and Chelsea. Dias described Guardiola's departure as not an "easy moment for the club" and called Maresca the "perfect person for the job" because he "knew the house so well." Dias also outlined some of the differences he has noticed under Maresca: "There's obviously many things from training session to some details about the way we press, details about the way we defend and that make all of these Enzo's idea. I feel like everything is making a lot of sense. Everyone is buying into the idea."

Dias’s role and standing
Having joined from Benfica in 2020 for £65m, Dias has played over 250 games for City, winning four Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups. He is one of four players remaining from the 2023 Treble-winning squad alongside Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rico Lewis. Last summer he signed a contract extension running until 2029, with an option for another year.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
City have won their opening four matches across the Premier League and Champions League. They travel to Manchester United on Sunday (kick-off 16:30 BST) in what Dias described as their sternest test so far.

Source: BBC Sport Football