Latest Man City Injury News And Expected Return Dates: Updates On John Stones, Nathan Ake And 2 Other Players
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that John Stones will be available to play in upcoming games despite not featuring against Arsenal at the weekend.
The defender was an unused substitute during the 0-0 draw versus the Gunners but, when asked about the defender’s fitness in a pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Guardiola said:
“He [John] has to feel fully fit. But the injury was less than we expected. We’ll see. For today or maybe for the next games, he’ll be ready.”
Although there is still some doubt that he will feature against Aston Villa, it seems he should be ready to play in subsequent fixtures.
Expected Return Date – Saturday 6th April v Crystal Palace
Guardiola is not so optimistic about the potential return of Nathan Ake. The Dutchman was forced off with a muscular injury against Arsenal.
Rico Lewis replaced the Dutchman with just 27 minutes on the clock at the weekend, and Guardiola has ruled out Ake from playing against Villa, Crystal Palace and (potentially) the first leg versus Real Madrid:
“Hopefully he will be back soon. I don’t know exactly the timing. For sure, the next games he won’t be ready.”
Based on Guardiola’s remarks, it won’t be a long-term injury but the timing of Ake’s is far from ideal, considering how many important fixtures are coming up.
Expected Return Date – Saturday 13th April v Luton Town
Ederson remains sidelined with a thigh injury he sustained in the 1-1 draw versus Liverpool before the international break.
Guardiola was hopeful that the Brazilian would return in time for the Arsenal game but he didn’t make the bench on Sunday and he has been ruled out of the Villa match too.
Kyler Walker picked up a tight hamstring playing for England against Brazil last month and, while there was initial optimism that the right-back wouldn’t be out for too long, those hopes have now been extinguished.
The defender won’t be in the squad against Villa and it remains to be seen whether he will be back in contention for the Palace fixture on Saturday.