The 29-year-old had just returned from his hamstring injury and was hoping to get back into the fold with his club and England. It looks as though he had aggravated that injury again.
“John felt it again,” Guardiola said after the game. “I feel so sorry for him. It&aposs 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.”
Stones will not feature this weekend although he could be back after the international break.
Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Premier League clash with Chelsea: “He is injured. He is not ready for (Sunday) and we will see when we come back from the international break.
“The doctor said to me its not as bad (as first thought) but I still dont know.”
The 29-year-old was a key cog in Pep Guardiola&aposs treble-winning team team last season and many regarded him as one of the Premier League&aposs best central defenders. However, injuries have caught up with a player who had suffered so much in the past with his fitness.
City are blessed in that department, though, with Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol all competing for those two spots. It means that the club can continue to push forward despite the loss of Stones, who had started to master playing the hybris role of a centre-back and defensive-midfielder.
The lack of continuity in defence does mean that options are usually generally priced in the City defence. But Kyle Walker (5.3m) is a regular in Guardiola&aposs plans and looks the best bet for FPL managers who want to cover that side of things.
The transfer window has been a hectic one and City have been busy, with high-profile signings and sales aplenty.
City snapped up Croatian pair Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol from Chelsea and RB Leipzig respectively with the latest addition being Jeremy Doku. Wolves&apos Matheus Nunes then joined the Blues on deadline day. In terms of outgoings, Treble winner Ilkay Gundogan departed for Barcelona, Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez moved to Saudi Arabia, and Cole Palmer completed a shock move to Chelsea.
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