Ruben Dias has warned that Manchester City will not rest after making history, shutting down any idea of complacency among Pep Guardiola‘s squad.
City linked back up this week and arrived in Tokyo for their pre-season tour on Thursday ahead of defending three trophies – including the Champions League.
Dias revealed that he could not eat in the hours before City conquered Europe in Istanbul but believes jumping that final hurdle will act as a springboard for further success.
‘For you to think that is all I need to achieve, you need to be small-minded or not very ambitious,’ the central defender said.
‘Obviously you could think that your job is done, ‘oh I won the Champions League, now I can hang up my boots’. But with my career, even though it has been great so far, there is so much more to do.
Ruben Dias has bashed away any notion of complacency affecting Manchester City next season
City dominated last season as they clinched the Premier League, FA Cup, and ended their wait for the Champions League
‘Yes, last season was beautiful but it’s just one part. Yes, we won the Treble and it’s amazing, but there is a lot more to come.
‘It’s ingrained in us. I have done it once and I can always do it twice, three times or four times. I want to make sure that my numbers will be good enough to be remembered for a while, if not forever.’
Guardiola has squad issues to fix over the coming weeks, not least replacing captain Ilkay Gundogan, who left on a free transfer for Barcelona. Dias is a candidate to take on that role, with the players and staff set to vote on their five-man leadership group after the tour.
The 26-year-old appears ready to kick on in what resembled a rallying cry before City kick off their preparations against their sister club Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan on Sunday.
City boss Pep Guardiola needs to find replacements during the transfer window for the likes of Ilkay Gundogan
‘One big thing at this club is to finally win the Champions League – that will mean less pressure,’ Dias added.
‘It’ll be something good for the team, pursuing the dream again. The pressure will come, there will be tense moments, but we’ve been there and done it. That works as an extra plus, not a minus.
‘All of us have dedicated the time to think about it [the Treble] but maybe not too much. I chose not to. It was the most important thing to feel it and embrace it. We know it happened, the Treble, the titles, whatever, but know you have to forget what you have just do it again.
‘I don’t think ambition will be a problem, because that is the direction the club set out for. This club hires depending on personality and what kind of man you are. That is one of the reasons why that lack of ambition is never an issue.’
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Mail Online
