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John Stones and Ruben Dias have been compared to two of the great Premier League partnerships as they inspired Manchester City to a 20th straight victory.
The pair have been formidable at the back this season and this time stole the headlines for their attacking prowess, as they both netted in the 2-1 win over West Ham on Saturday lunchtime.
In the 16 Premier League games they’ve started together, City have conceded just three goals – and they’ve found the net five times between them now too.
Former City midfielder Trevor Sinclair was waxing lyrical about Stones and Dias as he they made their mark at both ends against West Ham.
He even compared them to two of the all-time great Premier League centre-back partnerships – RIo Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at Manchester United and John Terry and RIcardo Carvalho at Chelsea.
“You think of partnerships, Rio and Vidic – Vidic used to get his fair share of goals. Terry and Carvalho – Terry used to get his fair share of goals from set pieces,” Sinclair told GameDay on talkSPORT.
“Both the boys we were talking about pre-game have stepped up and got their forwards out of jail. They’ve not been great in the final third.
“They have 13 clean sheets out of 15, have won 14 and got one draw… they are in sensational form.”
Sinclair also believes that Stones HAS to be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad following his impressive performances in a City shirt.
In the not too distant past, Stones was on the fringes of Pep Guardiola’s squad and looked as if he could leave the Etihad to get regular football.
That has all changed and is now a key part of the go-to partnership alongside Dias.
Sinclair added: “He’s 26 years old. He’s not an old player. You heard Stuart Pearce say he’s come up for breath again, that means he’s starting to show form again.
“He’s been sensational this season and I’d be very surprised if Gareth Southgate doesn’t include him in the England squad.”
Dias was signed from Benfica in the summer and settled immediately in Pep Guardiola’s side as they march towards the title.
City moved to 13 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table with the win.
“I read something where Dias said it’s not just about not conceding it’s about not conceding shots on target,” Sinclair said.
“He’s taken it to another level. He’s 23 years old. His communication skills are outstanding and you can see that relationship he’s formed with John Stones.
“I always think they’ve got a great goalkeeper behind them and it’s starting to be spoken about a lot more recently. Ederson is one of the best in the world.”
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