Man City’s 10 best performing players in the Premier League - but no Ruben Dias

Manchester City have begun their Premier League title defence in fine style, winning five of their opening seven games.

The Sky Blues are one of only two teams in the league, the other being Tottenham Hotspur, who are yet to lose a league fixture this season.

Pep Guardiola’s side sit second in the table on goal difference going into the international break, one point behind league leaders Arsenal.

The Catalan has made significant changes to his squad, both in terms of incoming and outgoing players, most notably the arrival of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

City are the highest scoring team in the Premier League so far, netting 23 times, while they have conceded the joint-second least goals (six) in the competition.

The Sky Blues are without a league fixture until 2 October, when they welcome cross-town rivals Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium, but who have been their standout stars so far?

With that being said, let’s take a look at who the 10 best performing City players are in the Premier League so far this season, according to SofaScore.

10 - John Stones - 7.03

The centre-back has featured six times this season for City in Aymeric Laporte’s absence and hasn’t disappointed. He has assisted his teammates on two occasions and has averaged 73.7 touches per game.

9 - Bernardo Silva - 7.20

The Portuguese international has contributed to five goals for City so far in the competition, scoring three and registering two assists.

8 - Rodri - 7.23

The midfielder has started all of City’s seven league games so far and is averaging an impressive 101.6 touches per game, while also providing two assists so far.

7 - Ilkay Gundogan - 7.24

The City captain has had a memorable start to the campaign so far, scoring twice in five starts. He is averaging 1.4 shots per game, while creating three big chances so far.

6 - Phil Foden - 7.26

Scored City’s third goal in their 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in their last league game, his second in the competition. The Englishman has been a threat on the wing and is averaging 1.4 shots per game.

5 - Joao Cancelo - 7.29

The full-back is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world and is continuing to prove he can contribute to both defensive and attacking phases of play. He has started all of City’s league games, scoring once and making on average 1.9 tackles per game.

4 - Manuel Akanji - 7.40

Made his Premier League debut in City’s 3-0 win over Wolves and impressed after making three tackles and registering 97 touches in the game.

3 - Jack Grealish - 7.57

The winger has been criticised for his lack of goal contributions since joining City last season, but scored inside a minute against Wolves - his first of the campaign. He has also completed 80% of his attempted dribbles.

2 - Kevin De Bruyne - 7.84

The Belgian international has continued his fine form from last season into this one, scoring once and assisting his teammates on six occasions - the most in the Premier League. He is also averaging 3.6 key passes per game.

1 - Erling Haaland - 7.94

The Premier League’s top scorer with 11 goals in seven games, Haaland is City’s best performer in the competition so far. He is averaging 3.9 shots per game, while also proving he can be a provider, registering once assist so far.