“He will be out for a while” – Pep Guardiola reveals major injury blow to Man City star

Manchester City centre-back John Stones will be ruled out “for a while”, according to Pep Guardiola, following a fresh injury blow.

It was a routine victory for Guardiola’s men, with two goals from Erling Haaland sandwiching a Phil Foden strike to ensure their last 16 qualification.

However, a ‘perfect’ evening has been overshadowed by two additions to their injury list, with Stones suffering his third blow of the year after hamstring and hip troubles.

The 29-year-old has missed large portions of the ongoing campaign through fitness and injury problems, having only played in the FA Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in August prior to his latest run of match action.

Stones sustained a hamstring problem in Manchester City training that followed the UEFA Super Cup victory against Sevilla in Athens, ruling himself out of action for over a month and missing England international responsibilities.

While Stones has proven to be an integral cog in Manchester City’s wheel upon returning, supporters will be fearing the worst on Tuesday night following a fresh injury setback for the versatile centre-back.

Speaking after Manchester City’s 3-0 victory over BSC Young Boys to secure qualification to the UEFA Champions League knock-out stages, Pep Guardiola revealed the extent of John Stones’ latest injury problem.

Guardiola explained, “John (Stones) felt it again. I feel so sorry for him. It’s a big loss for us. John is so important for what he does. But recover and the season is long. He will be back stronger. I think he will be out for a while.”

“It’s muscular, he will be a while out,” Guardiola continued. “It’s a pity for him; an incredible professional. It’s a pity and bad news for us.”

Ally McCoist highlighted the particular significance of losing Stones, who has been chameleonic for City in recent times, adapting to new midfield responsibilities after starting out as a central defender.

He said: ‘That’s a blow. I was saying it was a perfect night for Guardiola. Clearly it’s not if he’s got another injury to pick up.

‘Stonesy has been different class. He just moves into that midfield position. I saw him a couple of times on right-wing! He’s added things to his game. He’s really comfortable.

‘ That’s a blow. There’ll be tougher tests for City, both domestically and in the Champions League, and injuries is the one thing that will worry Guardiola.’