Ruben Dias has been having a stellar season in defence for Manchester City and according to pundit Jamie Carragher, the youngster has impressed him even more than Virgil Van Dijk.
Van Dijk has been regarded as one of the best central defenders in recent times after his impressive performance for Liverpool last season. And Carragher believes that Ruben Dias has done a very similarly job at Man City this time around, while not having the same attributes as the Dutch international.
“In the other semi-final you’ve got two of the greatest centre-backs of their generation hopefully playing in Thiago Silva and Ramos, they’re coming towards the end,” the pundit said in the Metro.
“We have seen Van Dijk over the last couple of years win the Champions League. I think the new breed is coming and this guy [Dias] is a massive part of it.
“The biggest thing for a centre-back, in terms of body position, I think he’s the best by a long way in the Premier League.
“I think in his first season that he has produced at Man City, I think he’s at that level. What I would say is that Van Dijk has been blessed with physical attributes that Dias hasn’t so in some ways I’m more impressed with Dias.
“When you watch Van Dijk, it’s like watching a Rolls-Royce, you just think the way he moves. ‘Most players don’t have that and Dias probably hasn’t got that so probably has to concentrate more and be side on constantly.”
Last season, Van Dijk was in peak form for Liverpool and he was one of the main reasons why the Anfield outfit were able to lift their maiden Premier League trophy.
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While Ruben Dias is not having the same sort of individual impact as his defensive counterpart but the 23-year-old has kept 14 clean sheets in the Premier League so far this season while Van Dijk had managed only 15 all throughout the previous season.
Also, Ruben Dias has conceded only 16 goals this campaign as compared to Van Dijk’s 33 last time around.
It’s too early to compare both of them or to judge who is better than whom but Ruben Dias has gotten a great partner in John Stones while Virgil Van Dijk did not have a world-class central defensive partner last season at Liverpool.
But certainly, trophy-wise Dias can match the Liverpool centre-back if his side can manage a treble by the end of this season(they have already won the EFL Cup and have one hand on the Premier League title).
