Football
Manchester City Dealt Huge Injury Blow Ahead of Champions League Clash With Feyenoord
After graduating from Kingston University with an upper second-class Honours degree, I learned the ropes in sports journalism starting at Sports Mole before making my way through the ranks at the MailOnline. I started initially as a freelancer before going on to become an assistant sports editor in seven years at the company. Love football, cursed by Spurs and you can catch me watching/falling asleep to the F1 while hungover on a Sunday.
Get to know Sam McEvoy betterPublished26 Nov 2024
Manchester City have been dealt a huge blow after an injured John Stones missed training ahead of their Champions League clash with Feyenoord.
Pep Guardiola’s side are on a five-game losing streak in all competitions and have several men out injured.
And Stones is the latest star to be ruled as a major doubt for the European tie. According to Manchester Evening News, the England star missed training in the build up to tonight’s clash, adding more woe to Guardiola’s depleted squad.
John Stones Injury: Another Key Man Missing For Manchester City
John Stones played 45 minutes of Man City’s most recent 4-0 humbling at the hands of Tottenham on the weekend.
But now the defender looks set to play no part in the Feyenoord tie at the Etihad on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola confirmed he replaced Stones at half-time against Spurs because of injury.
🚨 BREAKING: John Stones is absent from #ManCity training ahead of Feyenoord. 🚫
🗞️ via @_joebray pic.twitter.com/e3qTTkRBW3
— City HQ (@City_HQs) November 25, 2024
“John feels good but has to leave after 45 minutes,” Guardiola said after the Spurs loss. “John can play but can play 45 minutes and you need rhythm without raining.”
Stones has only played 11 times this season due to injury. In total, he’s missed eight games of football due to a number of minor injuries.
Man City Injury Update: Ruben Dias And Jeremy Doku Return
While the news of John Stones’ injury will be a big blow for Guardiola, the Catalan boss was given a boost with the return of Ruben Dias and Jeremy Doku to training.
While Stones’ injury will be a blow, having Dias back is a huge boost for the Premier League champions.
However, it is unlikely Dias or Doku will feature as they ease their way back into contention.
Rodri and Oscar Bobb remain long-term absentees while Mateo Kovacic is out of action for the month. The Croatian midfielder picked up a muscle injury while away on international duty.