The 24-year-old, who signed a new six-year deal in the summer, enjoyed a fine debut season for City after arriving from Benfica in the summer of 2020.
Impressing with his defensive acumen, strength and technical quality, he played 50 times as Pep Guardiola’s side lifted both the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
And his outstanding performances saw him win the FWA Footballer of the Year award.
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Asked about Dias leading out the side in midweek, Pep Guardiola said: “Everyone has to be their own leader.
“Every season we make the selection of captains. The players and backroom staff make the decision.
“11 months and one week we are all here together and they know who are the best to represent the team.
“We all choose our five captains. And the ones not selected are so important, too.
“Scott Carson -you cannot understand how important he is in our dressing room. I know how the captains react in bad moments.”
The boss also revealed that he is expecting Raheem Sterling to hit the heights of previous seasons as the campaign progresses.
Sterling was one of England’s shining lights during Euro 2020, but he is yet to start a game this season.
However, Guardiola says Sterling has huge quality and without him our success in recent years would have been impossible.
“Do you know how many incredible successes we had in the last few seasons?” Guardiola said.
“They would have been impossible without Raheem. He is so important.
“He reached incredibly high standards. I tell him this is the standards we need and I am pretty sure he will get it.
“If he is able to do it, he will and I am so optimistic he will do a great season.”
City v Southampton
We will have full coverage of Saturday’s game against Southampton right here on ManCity.com.
Our Matchday Centre will get under way at 13:00 UK, with text updates throughout the evening meaning you won’t miss a beat.
Our Matchday Live show starts just before 14:00, when Shaun Goater and Steven McInerney will be our guests.
And CITY+ subscribers can enjoy a full 90-minute replay from midnight.
Enjoy your first month of CITY+ free of charge. After that, CITY+ costs £1.99 a month.
