“He was injured” – Pep Guardiola confirms new fitness blow to Manchester City defender

Manchester City’s John Stones is injured, Pep Guardiola has confirmed to reporters off the back of the weekend’s 3-0 win over Sunderland.

The news arrives at an inconvenient time for City , who face a demanding run of fixtures both domestically and in Europe, as Stones’ omission from the squad raised eyebrows before kick-off, particularly given his ability to step into midfield during build-up.

With the squad already juggling a range of injuries, knocks and fatigue issues, Pep Guardiola’s confirmation during the second-half of his post-match press conference only adds another concern during a crucial December schedule.

City managed the weekend fixture with authority, capitalising on Arsenal’s earlier defeat to move within touching distance at the top of the Premier League table. Goals from Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Phil Foden secured a dominant result, though Sunderland did threaten on the break in spells.

Despite the comfortable scoreline, City were forced to work through periods of frustration as the visitors sat deep with a compact five-man defence. Once Pep Guardiola’s side broke the resistance, however, the contest swung firmly in their favour.

The comfortable result allowed Guardiola to rotate parts of his squad, but Stones’ absence loomed large, especially as the team prepares for a crucial midweek trip to Spain. With Real Madrid awaiting in the Champions League, clarity on Stones’ availability has arrived.

Speaking to reporters from the Etihad Stadium after the 3-0 win over Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats, Guardiola was quizzed on Stones and the Englishman’s absence from the matchday squad on Saturday.

“He was injured, yes”, Guardiola confirmed to reporters. However, when further pressed for a recovery timeframe on Stones, the Catalan coach admitted, To be honest, I don’t know.”

One player who did admit to some minor difficulties before putting in an exemplary showing for the side at the weekend was Phil Foden , whom Guardiola revealed had told him after the victory that he was not feeling 100 per cent.

“Phil is incredible. He’s scoring a lot of goals… He told to me after, ‘I didn’t feel well today.’ And look what happened; how he runs in-behind and regaining the ball,” Guardiola said.

“Phil, when he’s in these momentums, in this mood, he’s a gift. He’s a diamond. He’s top. Top.”

With John Stones now sidelined again, Manchester City must assess whether his setback is short-term or another lingering issue. The England international has endured repeated injury interruptions over the past 18 months, frequently halting his rhythm.

The timing is far from ideal as City travel to Madrid on Wednesday before another round of Premier League fixtures tightens the calendar, with a visit to Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola will hope for positive news from the medical department as the squad attempts to navigate the busiest and most decisive period of the season.

As for Phil Foden , his revelation adds an intriguing layer, as if the England star was below full fitness yet still produced a match-defining display, City may rely on him even more heavily while other key figures work their way back.