Ruben Dias said Manchester City have more than enough leaders to cope with the departure of club captain Kyle Walker.

Walker took over as skipper in the summer of 2023 and led Pep Guardiola's side to an historic fourth consecutive Premier League title, but after a battle with form and fitness this season as well as a difficult personal situation he decided to leave the club in the January transfer window. The right-back joined AC Milan on loan and his farewell did not sound like a man who expects to play for City again.

Dias has stepped up to become second captain behind Kevin De Bruyne in a leadership reshuffle, and there are still five in the official leadership group after Ilkay Gundogan returned to the club in the summer transfer window. Real Madrid's return throws up memories of some of the fantastic battles Walker had with Vinicius, but Dias does not see any hole for this tie or the season in general that cannot be filled.

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"He was a big personality, especially when it came to times like this, he was one to show up and show his face and be there for the team," he said. "He was a player we all relied on. He’s not here now so time for another to step up, we’ve got enough names to step up.

"We don’t know who is going to play, the manager will decide, he’s not decided yet, but we do have options to do it. More than anything, we’re not thinking about one player alone because those individual duels will be very important, but the collective action and the way we behave as a collective will make the difference. We have all we need to be able to look after him."