Manchester City have suffered another major injury blow after manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that defender John Stones will not be available to play for Premier League champions until after the September international break.
This is coming less than a few days after playmaker Kevin de Bruyne sustained a recurring hamstring injury that will keep him out of action for the next few months.
Recall that Stones missed Man City’s last three games due to a hip injury, and Guardiola has confirmed the England international will be absent for his side’s upcoming Premier League matches against Sheffield United and Fulham, respectively.
Stones is also expected to miss England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine in Wroclaw, Poland and a friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park.
“John will be ready after the international break,” Guardiola said at his post-match interview after Man City’s 1-0 win against Newcastle over the weekend.
Stones has not featured for Man City since playing the full 90 minutes of the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal at the start of August.