City future not set in Stones for John
PEP’S FITNESS DEMAND FOR CENTRE-HALF
PEP GUARDIOLA has indicated that John Stones is running out of time to prove he still has a longterm future at Manchester City.
The former England defender will get only his 11th league start of the season against Newcastle tonight, his first action since the resumption.
But having fallen well down the pecking order, Guardiola conceded centre-half Stones could be tempted by a fresh start elsewhere.
“What we want, for his future and for ours, is for him to come back and play and to be able to play two, three or four months with no injuries,” said Guardiola, below.
“He’s struggled with injuries. On the transfer market, we’ll speak at the end of the season.
“I’ve said many times I’m more than delighted with John as a person, as a pro, everything. What I want is the best for him.”
Stones has seen his City career regularly interrupted by injury and he has slipped behind Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho, Eric Garcia and Nicolas Otamendi.
With Guardiola appearing to leave the exit door ajar, the 26-year-old’s representatives are thought to be receptive to interest from other top-flight clubs, with Arsenal and Everton on the alert.
It is a far cry from April 2018 when the City boss claimed the defender would remain at the club as long as he was in charge. “Sometimes my wish is not the wish of the players, or the wish of the situation for the club,” he said. “He’s a young player and we want him to be consistent, to train and recover. There are players who can play every three days for 11 months, others struggle more to be fit and we try to find the key to playing every three days.
“The quality of John is there, never doubt it for one second, it’s just when you don’t play, you are rotated and injured again.”
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Mendy; Foden, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling.
NEWCASTLE (4-5-1):
Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Fernandez, Rose; Lazaro, Bentaleb, M Longstaff, Shelvey, Ritchie; Gayle.