Pep Guardiola says John Stones is not fit to face Arsenal this weekend due to injury, but believes the centre-back will feature for England later this month.
John Stones’ Injury
Stones last featured for Manchester City on August 6, when he was in Community Shield action against Arsenal.
Arsenal won the tie on penalties and since that game Stones has not played a single minute of football after suffering a hip injury in training.
He was subsequently forced to miss England’s international fixtures against Ukraine and Scotland.
🗣️ “John Stones is not ready to play.”
Pep Guardiola says John Stones is not fit to face Arsenal but may be able to make the upcoming England squad. 🏴 pic.twitter.com/AwyJSLikZq
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 6, 2023
What Did Pep Guardiola Say About John Stones’ Injury Ahead of Arsenal?
During Guardiola’s Manchester City pre-match press conference, a reporter asked the Spaniard whether Stones was ready to return to action.
With a shake of the head, Guardiola responded: “No. John Stones is not ready to play. He’s not ready to play.
“Maybe for national team, but not for us.”
This may come as a surprise to some City fans after the former Everton defender was included in City’s matchday squad for their clash against RB Leipzig on Wednesday evening. City ran out 3-1 winners in that game following goals from Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku, however, Stones did not make an appearance off the bench.
Despite not playing for two months, Stones was also announced in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad to face Australia and Italy later this month, however, it remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to join up with the squad.
Other Manchester City Injury News
In other news, Guardiola is hoping Kevin De Bruyne could return to action ahead of schedule following his five-month layoff following hamstring surgery.
On De Bruyne, Guardiola said: “Kevin comes in at different times, either before training or for his treatment. After training he sees physios, and so on.
“Of course I see him every day and he’s getting better, and his mood is good. Hopefully (he will be back) sooner than expected he will be back.”
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