After John Stones was unable to continue playing during England’s 2-2 draw against Belgium as he sustained yet another injury, Manchester City supporters worldwide likely had their heads in their hands.
In the 10 minute of the contest, Stones was eventually taken off as one wondered why he was starting in the first place, considering he had played against Brazil on Saturday as well.
Joe Gomez replaced the Manchester City centre-back, who has joined Kyle Walker on the injured list.
However, Walker’s hamstring injury was not deemed to be too serious, as per a latest revelation.
England reporter shares what she noticed about John Stones after he picks up injury against Belgium
With how injury-prone the former Everton defender is, it was a worrying sign to see him walk out of the tunnel instead of sit back on the bench alongside his Three Lions teammates on Tuesday.
Reporter Kelly Somers did indicate that looking at how England colossus John Stones walked out of the tunnel during his side’s friendly encounter against Belgium, it seems like his injury may not be as serious as initially feared.
“The last player out was John Stones, he did appear to be walking okay, so hopefully Man City and England fans will be hoping he’s okay”, she said on Channel 4.
After the contest, England boss Gareth Southgate gave an insight into the nature of the injury suffered by John Stones after his side salvaged a late draw against Belgium.
“Of course, we’re disappointed if he’s got a problem. It seems to be in the sort of adductor area”, he said [viaHaytersTV].
Huge advantage for Arsenal if John Stones is injured now
Considering how exciting a showdown awaits when Manchester City and Arsenal go head-to-head with each other, the hope remains that the injury suffered by John Stones during England duty against Brazil was anything but serious.
Ideally, Stones simply chose to come off the pitch for precautionary reasons.
But if that is not the case, in our view, Arsenal’s chances of getting the all-important three points have significantly been boosted.
In the previous encounter between both sides in which the Gunners won 1-0, Stones’ absence was felt by City, as he is the fulcrum of their box midfield and their tactical setup.
As has been the case in several big games the Englishman has missed this campaign, chaos ensues as Manchester City lack his calming presence at the back, in midfield and across all phases.
Yet another frantic contest in a high-stakes affair does not particularly suit Pep Guardiola’s side, who thrive when they exact control and Mikel Arteta’s troops could exploit that if the versatile defender is indeed unavailable.