Portugal's Matheus Nunes called Ruben Dias a vital part of the national team and expressed hope that Dias will be fit for their Group K World Cup opener against DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday, June 16 [1, 2]. Dias trained separately from the Portugal squad on Monday, June 14, at their Florida training camp for undisclosed reasons, raising concerns about his availability for the match [1, 2].

"Obviously we want him to be present in every game because he is very important," Nunes said. "My partner from City — we all know how important he is to this national team. He is one of the leaders, a very present voice in the dressing room and outside it as well. I hope he'll be good for the first game and for the rest of the World Cup too," he added [1].

Portugal’s training plan involved morning sessions at the beach to help players adapt to the hot climate, followed by regular afternoon training, Nunes explained. "That was always part of the work plan. We go to the beach in the mornings to adapt to the climate, because obviously ... I spend the whole year playing in Manchester, and there isn't as much sun or heat there, and it's a huge difference," he said. "It shouldn't give the impression that we're spending more time at the beach than training. In the morning we go to the beach ... and then in the afternoon we do our normal training every day" [1, 2].

The 27-year-old Nunes has played in several positions, including midfielder and fullback, and feels comfortable in both roles. "I've now had almost a season and a half playing at fullback, so I'm more than used to everything that the position involves. I've also played left wing and I've played in all sorts of positions that I feel I can do. I'd say I'm comfortable in both positions. I don't really have a preference at the moment," he said [1, 2].

Born in Brazil and moving to Portugal at age 12, Nunes feels a connection to both countries but credits Portugal more for his football development. "I feel like I'm both — I'm Portuguese, I'm Brazilian. But when it comes to football, I owe much more to Portugal than to Brazil because Portugal gave me the ...," he said [1, 2].

Portugal is set to face DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday, June 16, in their opening match of World Cup Group K [1, 2].