Update: ‘Makes my job easier’ – Early frontrunner emerges in race to be next Man City captain News

Manchester City must elect a new club captain next season when current skipper Kevin De Bruyne leaves in the summer.

There was a stoppage at Everton on Saturday, shortly after half-time, when Manchester City players had to twiddle their thumbs for a few minutes.

Pep Guardiola left his players to their own devices rather than call an impromptu team talk on the touchline, and it was notable that most just wandered around Goodison Park taking in the sights. Ruben Dias had other ideas.

The centre-back called over centre-back partner Josko Gvardiol and number six Nico Gonzalez for a talk of his own, telling both where to be – potentially reacting to the imminent departure of Everton’s James Tarkowski. Anybody who has seen Dias play football throughout his career wouldn’t have batted an eyelid at the glimpse of leadership.

As Kevin De Bruyne earned an ovation from all four stands at Everton as his farewell tour continued, the captain then strolled out of the dressing room and straight to a handful of waiting journalists to tell his side of the story. De Bruyne feels he has more to give and should be staying at City, clearly still processing the fact he has to leave in a month or two.

City have decided to move on and with that means appointing a new captain. Kyle Walker feels the door is not closed on his City career but Guardiola regards him as an AC Milan player and the dressing room may take his mid-season departure into account when voting on the captain for next season.

De Bruyne will definitely go, Ilkay Gundogan may still go and Bernardo Silva is another who isn’t certain to stay. That leaves Dias and Rodri as the two favourites of the current leadership group to succeed De Bruyne as captain – and Dias is using the run-in to lay down an early marker.

Typically coy, he spoke about his leadership role after the Everton game, saying: “I feel like whoever is a leader in the team or whoever is not, I always feel like everyone has to be a leader of their own selves. By consequence of that you will be a good influence on the team and in difficult moments like this season, I feel like everyone has needed to step up and be there for the team in the way the team needs them.”

Dias spoke of trying to win the FA Cup for ‘many in the team’ who haven’t won it (around ten players) and called on the squad to ‘want’ Champions League qualification more than their rivals.

New centre-back partner Gvardiol pointed to Dias in helping his transition back to the middle of defence. “I think it wasn’t that hard to move back into my natural position. I have been playing for a long time and I think it is just inside of me and natural,” he said.

“The relationship with Ruben is really good as you can see how we work on the pitch and help each other. For me, it is also important that he is the experienced one and a leader not just to me, but to everyone in the team. I think having him next to me makes my job easier.”

Rodri is the Ballon d’Or winner and will be another contender for the captaincy. Erling Haaland is an outsider after Guardiola made a rare intervention recently and handed him the armband because he’s committed his career to the club. John Stones is another option having captained the side on occasion – but will he be there next season?

Walker arguably pipped De Bruyne to the captain’s vote in 2024 in part due to De Bruyne’s injury at the time. Walker had the benefit of proving himself on the job, so could Dias steal an advantage on Rodri by virtue of simply being around the squad in a difficult season?

Dias feels like the early frontrunner for the role of permanent skipper.

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