Manchester City have been dealt yet another injury blow as it has emerged that defender John Stones will be absent until after the international break.
The Cityzens have already been rocked by the news that Kevin de Bruyne will miss between four and five months of the season. Limping out of action in the opening game of the season against Burnley, the Belgian was revealed to have torn his hamstring and required surgery, which will leave the 32-year-old sidelined until 2024.
Now, they are without another one of their key men as Stones is also set for a spell on the sidelines. The Englishman suffered a muscle injury in pre-season and has missed all of Manchester City’s four competitive games so far this season, including their most recent 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
Rejuvenated last season in his new role of inverted fullback, he is now set to miss out until after the next international break, which takes place from 4th-15th September.
It means that Stones will miss their upcoming games against Sheffield United on 27 August and Fulham on 2 September, and he is also unlikely to be called up by Gareth Southgate for the upcoming England World Cup qualifiers, where the Three Lions take on Ukraine and Scotland.
Kyle Walker returned to right back in the opening games of the season, but his inclusion prompted a change of system from Guardiola, who has previously admitted that Walker does not have the same skillset as Stones and cannot operate centrally.
In better news, City are expected to be able to welcome back Bernardo Silva this week after he too has missed the opening games of the season through injury.
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