Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed the injury suffered by John Stones aaginst Everton ‘doesn’t look good’.
Man City, coming back from winning the Club World Cup, returned to winning ways after unconvincing recent form in the Premier League.
They came back from a goal behind to beat Everton 3-1 with goals from Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Bernaro Silva.
John Stones collided with Everton striker Beto and was taken off at the end of the first half after suffering an ankle injury.
Coach Pep Guardiola was forced to make a change. He sent Gavardiol onto the field to replace John Stones.
The player born in 1995 had ankle problems. It is known that John Stones’ injury is not light. Man City’s number 5 had to wear a leg brace after the match to be able to move.
The English player is expected to be examined by Man City for an early scan to clarify the severity of the injury.
If John Stones is seriously injured, this is definitely bad news for Man City. The player just recently returned after suffering a hip injury earlier in the season that kept him out until October.
John Stones is an important name in coach Pep Guardiola’s tactical system. He can play well in both central midfielder and center back positions. Certainly, The Citizens will face big losses if No. 5 continues to have to take a long break during the most intense period of the season.
The England international’s season has been affected severely by injuries. The win against Everton was only his fifth start of the season.
Pep Guardiola, in his post-match press conference told Amazon:
‘It doesn’t look good, probably but we will see. It’s his ankle.’
‘Hopefully the damage isn’t big and he can come back soon.’
The main reason behind City’s frustration with this injury is that it came in a play that was subsequently flagged offside.
There is one positive for Guardiola and his team. Kevin de Bruyne is set to return after a lengthy lay-off and the City manager provided positive update about the Belgian star.
‘Kevin is close but he had fatigue yesterday and we have to be careful,’ Guardiola said.
‘When he was injured for three months, if you don’t handle the timings good you can get injured again.
‘The injury was serious so step by step but he’s training with us and he is so positive so soon he will be back. I’d love for him to play the next game or Huddersfield but what is important is keeping him fit for a long time, not for one game or another.’
The Premier League champions are currently fourth in the league, 5 points behind Liverpool having played one game less.