John Stones is injured and will be out for a while. This is bad news for England too, as Gareth Southgate will be picking his squad for the November internationals this week.
Manchester City and England defender John Stones has suffered another injury and will be sidelined for a considerable period of time, as confirmed by his manager Pep Guardiola. The injury occurred during Man City’s 3-0 victory against Young Boys in the Champions League.
Stones, who started this season with a hip injury and missed the first seven matches, was substituted at half-time in City’s win over the Swiss team due to a muscle issue.
City had a double injury blow on Tuesday night when Manuel Akanji hurt his back during the warm-up.
Asked about the injuries, Guardiola told TNT Sports: “Manu had a problem in the back. It was blocked and I don’t know what happened but he was out.
“And John felt [his injury] again. I feel so sorry for him because he’s so incredibly professional and his commitment again. It is a big loss for us. John is so important for what he does but he will recover and the season is long and he will be back stronger.”
Asked if Stones will be out for a while, Guardiola said: “Yeah I think so.”
Pressed about the news in his post-match press conference, Guardiola said: “It’s a muscular injury so he will be a while out. It’s a pity for him, because he’s an incredible professional. It’s bad news for us, it’s the bad news.”
It’s a bad news for England. Gareth Southgate will announce his squad for the final Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia this week.
Manchester City will face tough Premier League matches against Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Aston Villa in the next four weeks.
Akanji was replaced by Kyle Walker in the starting line-up of City.
Guardiola expressed optimism regarding Akanji’s injury, suggesting that it may not be a serious concern.
“It was a block in the back, he was training and there was a block. When he does this, he looks like he’s 75 years old,” said Guardiola in his press conference.
“And he could not play and that’s why Kyle replaced him in the last moment. Hopefully it is not a big issue and he will be ready for Sunday.”
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