NEWS. . . BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
John Stones fears he will be forced to miss Manchester City’s top-flight clash against rivals Arsenal after suffering a muscle injury while on an overseas mission with England.
The 29-year-old was one of five players to play in the entirety of England’s 1-0 loss to Brazil at the weekend and continued his run against Belgium, which lasted just ten minutes in Tuesday’s friendly.
Liverpool’s Joe Gomez replaced the Stones, with Ezri Konsa moving to centre-back, while Jude Bellingham salvaged a 2-2 draw for the Three Lions in their final game before this summer’s European Championship.
Gareth Southgate was unsure of the severity of the Stones’ problem but showed that the City defender had suffered an adductor injury in his post-match press conference, which would have made Pep Guardiola sweat ahead of Sunday’s heavyweight clash at the Etihad.
Stones missed 11 games for City at the start of the campaign due to a hip problem and has been a mainstay of the team ever since, with last year’s three-time winners fighting for honours on three fronts: in the Premier League and the Champions League. and the FA Cup.
But the Daily Star reports City are likely to suffer a major blow as Stones lose their match over compatibility for this weekend’s game.
The England international, who has been deployed in midfield under Guardiola this season, has been pessimistic about his chances of being concerned after undergoing an investigation in Manchester.
The Stones’ City colleague Kyle Walker is also in a desperate race to match the Gunners after injuring his hamstring in England’s Euro 2024 opener against Brazil.
The full-back came off after just 20 minutes and replaced Aston Villa defender Konsa before Endrick came on and scored the only goal of the game at Wembley.
Kevin De Bruyne is expected to face Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal after missing City’s win over Newcastle with a groin injury before the international break.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will be hoping to arrive at the festival with a strong squad, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli all candidates to worry about despite some considerations about the trio’s fitness.
It remains to be seen whether Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu can play a role after either of them took part in a closed-door showdown with QPR last week.
Partey checked an hour after missing several months with a hamstring injury, while Tomiyasu had forty-five minutes under his belt as he sped up his recovery from a muscle problem.
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