John Stones was forced off injured in the first half of England’s friendly against Belgium at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The defender was seen holding his right leg after making a few passes in the first ten minutes of the game. Manchester City will meet Arsenal on Sunday in a crucial Premier League title match.
It adds to Pep Guardiola’s fears going into the weekend, as Kyle Walker was forced off in England’s defeat to Brazil on Saturday. The fullback’s injury is not thought to be serious, but with Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish missing international duty due to issues, though both are expected to be fit for the weekend, and Manuel Akanji withdrawing from Switzerland’s game against Ireland, City’s fitness is a major concern.
Losing Stones would be a big blow, given the centre back’s injury history this season. The 29-year-old plays an important role for both his club and his country.
City’s players are scheduled to return to the club on Thursday ahead of the Arsenal game, when Guardiola will assess the state of his squad. Erling Haaland reported that Guardiola jokingly informed his players that if they got injured this week, he would ‘come after them’, despite earlier telling them to be responsible about their workload ahead of City’s hectic schedule.
