John Stones has been ruled out of the crucial Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal by Pep Guardiola.
Due to a number of injuries, Stones hasn’t played for the Blues since the Community Shield in August. This week, he returned to training in an effort to demonstrate his health. The England defender was both selected in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the national team’s forthcoming matches as well as the Champions League match against RB Leipzig.
Even if the center back is later able to represent his country, according to Guardiola, he will not be healthy enough to play against Arsenal. City will need to find a different way to fill the void left by Kevin De Bruyne’s injury and the suspension of Rodri.
John Stones isn’t prepared to play yet. For the national squad perhaps, but not for us,” he remarked.
“Today, my crew and I began discussing how to analyze the game that needs to be prepared for tomorrow morning. It makes sense because Rodri is one of the top holding midfielders in the world, if not the best. We always handle it over several years if he is unable to play.
“We find a solution with our players, the way we are going to press and what they can do.”