Florida, June 16 -- Ahead of his side's FIFA World Cup opener against DR Congo, Portugal star Matheus Nunes expressed hope that his Manchester City teammate Ruben Dias is fit for the all-important tournament opener scheduled for Wednesday.

Dias plays with Nunes for Manchester City and had been training separately from the squad for undisclosed reasons, triggering a worry among fans that he could give the Group K clash at Houston a miss.

Speaking ahead of the match as quoted by Reuters, Nunes said, "Obviously we want him (Dias) to be present in every game because he is very important. 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 outs...