England center-back, John Stones, limped off two weeks ago before Manchester City’s crucial game against Arsenal. Despite the injury, Gareth Southgate picked him to start for England and the Three Lions boss has since defended the move.
It’s not been a good run for Manchester City’s players during the international break. Among the players affected include Kyle Walker who made an early exit during the English match against Brazil. Stones, who started the game well suffered an injury to his abductor muscle.
Will The Injuries Have an Impact on Man City’s Upcoming Matches?
Man City have a crucial clash on Sunday where they will meet tier London-based opponent, arsenal, on Sunday. But, John Stone’s current conditions make him a doubt for the upcoming Man City game.
Additionally, Kyle Walker will also be returning to the Etihad with a Hamstring injury. The player suffered an injury during their game against Brazil. It means Pep Guardiola will likely play without key defenders during the upcoming game.
Here is What Gareth Southgate Had to Say
Southgate was unrepentant about his choice of John Stones for England’s game against Belgium. He defended the move by saying that other leading nations did the same with their key players during the international matches.
In his example, he said “ We did with John Stones what Holland did with Virgil van Dijk. Norway did the same with Martin Odegard. Additionally, the Dutch weren’t an exception because they did a similar thing to Nathan Ake. Now the criticisms seem to only fall on us.” Southgate admitted that he is disappointed if John Stones has a problem and added that the injury seems to be in the abductor area.
According to Gareth Southgate, John Stones hadn’t played for two weeks, and letting him play wasn’t an overload problem. He added that he hates sending back players to their clubs when they are not fully fit.
Also Read: John O’Shea Is Set to Be Ireland’s National Team’s Manager
What Was the Outcome of Their Recent Game?
England secured a draw in their recent clash with Belgium seeing the game end 2-2. Jude Bellingham scored an equalizer minutes into the stoppage time of the game. Jude is a Real Madrid Midfielder and is known for his outstanding performance both at his club and on international missions. Southgate had handed first starts to Kobbie Mainoo and Tonnie. He said the outcome was positive for the team.
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About the Author
Reagan is a soccer fanatic who has been following the game since childhood. He loves writing about soccer news, trends, and updates every day. He also enjoys watching soccer during his free time, hence the ease of writing up-to-date content.