Ruben Dias details Manchester City transition under Enzo Maresca

Manchester City captain Ruben Dias says the squad has embraced new manager Enzo Maresca’s approach following extensive changes to the playing staff and coaching leadership. In an interview reported by BBC Sport, the Portugal defender described the ambition of the club’s summer recruits and said players were responding positively to changes in training, pressing and defending.

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City spent a Premier League-record £458 million during the recent transfer window, according to the BBC, with Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi among the midfield arrivals. The club also brought in more than £300 million through sales. Rodri, former captain Bernardo Silva and John Stones were among those to leave, taking substantial experience out of the squad that Maresca inherited.

Dias said the new arrivals’ determination to win was being combined with the knowledge and ambition of those who remained. Maresca has given him the captaincy, although the defender said his approach to the role still centred on maintaining his own standards. He has been part of City’s leadership group since joining from Benfica in 2020 in a £65 million transfer.

The managerial change followed Pep Guardiola’s departure at the end of last season after a decade in charge. Maresca previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant at City before managing Leicester City and Chelsea. Dias acknowledged that Guardiola’s exit had been difficult for the club, but said Maresca’s familiarity with the organisation made him particularly suited to taking over. He pointed to adjustments in the team’s pressing and defensive work as examples of the Italian implementing his own ideas.

City have begun the season with four consecutive victories across the Premier League and Champions League, the BBC reported. Dias said the squad was enjoying training and accepting the new manager’s methods. His account describes a group adapting to a different coach while integrating recruits following the departures of several established players.

Now 29, Dias has made more than 250 appearances for City, winning four Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups. He is one of only four players still at the club from the 2023 Treble-winning squad, alongside Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rico Lewis. He signed an extension last summer until 2029, with an option for another year, and said maintaining his ambition over a long period remained an important personal goal.