Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that England international John Stones will be out of action for an extended period with a thigh injury.
The former Everton defender was substituted in the eighth minute of Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to European Champions Real Madrid, and was replaced by Nathan Ake after suffering an injury.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster clash with league leaders Liverpool, Guardiola confirmed that the 30-year old might also need to undergo surgery.
“He’s injured, a difficult one. Next hours, days we’ll know if he needs surgery or not … Yeah [a long period out], like Manu Akanji.
Some of [the players] cannot sustain playing every three days”, Guardiola said. “Already we have a lot of players who cannot sustain what we did in the past. Next year a doctor will sit with me, with the number of injuries we have. Something is going on. Not just with us but other clubs like Spurs and Arsenal.”
Stones’ injury is a huge blow to the Premier League champions who also have Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland missing from the UCL defeat, and puts huge pressure on new signings Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov, who both joined in January.
The England international has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season for the Cityzens, scoring three times and providing two assists.
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