Pep Guardiola still expects Fernandinho to play an important role in the Manchester City squad while he is injured.
The veteran midfielder appeared to pull his hamstring in the closing minutes of the 3-1 win over Porto and an initial diagnosis had him out for between four and six weeks, although the club are confident that he will be back in under a month after the latest tests.
Despite his absence from the pitch in the coming games, the City boss believes that Fernandinho will continue to have a major impact in the dressing room. The 35-year-old was voted as the club captain for the season following David Silva's departure as the players look up to his experience and seniority.
"A leader can be on or off the pitch as well," said the manager. "Outside of the 90 minutes we spend a lot of time together so he can help us in a different way. The injury is tough but yesterday the results were a bit more optimistic. I think it will be shorter than one month and not six weeks. That’s good for us."
Fernandinho's importance to the squad was highlighted recently by Ruben Dias. The summer signing from Benfica has quickly commanded respect at his new club and been praised for his own leadership skills, but he is trying to learn from his more senior teammate.
“Fernandinho is, without a doubt, a reference for me in the dressing room," Dias said. "It will be a good role model to learn from, so I'll try to get as many learnings as I can from him.”
