The duo were integral players in City’s Treble-winning season, offering composure and flair at both ends of the pitch.
Dias featured for the entirety of City’s 1-0 win over Newcastle at the Etihad last weekend though Bernardo - who signed a new one-year contract extension earlier this week, was ruled out through illness.
But in Friday’s pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola’s No 2 Juanma Lillo confirmed that the midfielder is back in contention for Sunday’s trip to Sheffield United, which Dias feels would be a big boost for City as Bernardo’s versatility is unique.
“I consider him [Bernardo] to be a person who has a very good understanding of football and his own game,” said Dias.
“But with Bernardo I think this is taken to a new level, due to his ability to play in any position on the pitch, and to be able to know exactly what to do.
“I think that this is related to how he is able to understand the game, to have total confidence in completely different positions.
“There were moments last season where he went from right wing to left back.
“I think this is an ability that very few people have in the world of football.
“I am impressed by this as anyone, so I think to have that ‘super intelligence’ of the game would be no bad thing.”
Even without key players missing, the Premier League season is a tough one.
As Dias explained, the schedule is intense, and the team are prepared to fight to win new trophies as well as retaining last season’s accolades.
“I don’t think that it’s a perfect start, things are as they are, of course we’re happy especially in the Premier League where we’ve started with two wins,” said Dias when asked for his thoughts on City’s start to the 2023/24 campaign.
“They are six points, nothing more nothing less. Of course, we would also have liked to win the Community Shield, unfortunately that didn’t go our way.
“We won the UEFA Super Cup, but above all else it’s about keeping our feet on the ground, even more than before.
“It’s going to be a long season, it’s going to get harder month on month, and what’s harder than doing something once is doing it twice in a row, or three times, or four, whatever it may be.
“Of course, we’re used to winning, but the most difficult thing is always to keep on winning. So we’re happy with the start to the season, but we know that a lot of challenges lie ahead.”
