John Stones faces timely return to the pitch by January 2nd after being sidelined with a hamstring injury on November 18 against Leicester City. He wanted an early return to help the team face the grueling Christmas schedule, but Manchester City can afford to be a bit more cautious with the center back as Vincent Kompany returned to the lineup.
Manchester City are currently sitting pretty on the top of table 8 points above rival Manchester United.
But ever since John Stones’ injury, City have come away with narrow 2-1 victories in the last 3 games against Huddersfield Town, Southampton, and West Ham United.
With a star-stacked attacking lineup and meteoric pace on the wings, Pep Guardiola’s side have dominated teams in the Premier League netting 46 goals while conceding only 10. He has worked well with his resources in the center back position switching with Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala.
Guardiola expressed his concern over the lack of depth in the defence even after spending 221.5 million Pounds in the summer. According to him, John Stones and Vincent Kompany are key components in the team and will be heavily utilized for the remainder of the season.
The manager’s persistence for excellence can be well noted from his comments about how a championship side should face such challenges in pursuit of trophies. He is ready to experiment with the squad and player positions to fill up vacant positions in certain games.
A proper rotation and prevention of fatigue will help subdue injury concerns especially in a crammed schedule for a club competing for quadruple trophies in a season.
John Stones arrived at Manchester City from Everton for 47.5 million Pounds in August 2016. He took his time to adjust to the high expectations of the fans in his first season at the club, with a series of inconsistent performances and tendency towards rash challenges.
But ever since the current season has started, he has found his feet at the club under Guardiola, earning him rave reviews from a number of experts. He is the Spaniard’s first choice centre-back alongside Vincent Kompany, having appeared in 12 of the 15 Premier League matches and missing only one game in the Champions League group stage.
The English international is also a Gareth Southgate favorite with a first team place in the national team already cemented before the World Cup 2018. However, he will look to continue his good run of form and gain valuable experience before the prestigious tournament starts next summer.
