England’s John Stones ruled out of WC qualifiers with injury

New Delhi: John Stones has been removed from the England squad for the upcoming two World Cup qualifiers because of a muscle injury. The announcement was made by Lions manager Thomas Tuchel, who said he doesn't want to take any risks with the 31-year-old, as he showed up at the training camp with a "muscle issue" that has not fully improved.

So far, Stones has started all three of Manchester City's Premier League matches. However, according to reports from Tuchel, he reported with an injury for England duty.

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Ahead of their match against Andorra on Saturday, he said, "He came with minor issues and didn't progress as we thought and hoped he would, so he left camp this morning. Everyone else is available. We had 21 players yesterday in training and 21 players today in training, and hopefully, everyone will be available for tomorrow."

Tuchel has options in Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, and Jarell Quansah as other centre-backs. He will miss two fixtures: the Saturday clash with Andorra and Tuesday's game against Serbia.

With Champions League matches and key Premier League fixtures lined up immediately after the international break, Manchester City will be hoping John Stones’ setback is merely precautionary.

The defender is expected to undergo further checks at the City Football Academy under the supervision of the club’s medical staff and the speed of his recovery could influence City’s plans in the coming weeks.

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Pep Guardiola has often been cautious with his defenders, and Stones’ role in City’s hybrid defence-midfield setup makes him particularly hard to replace. If his absence extends beyond the break, Guardiola may need to shuffle his options again, relying more heavily on Nathan Ake or Josko Gvardiol.

With injuries already weakening the squad, Stones’ withdrawal highlights the challenges Guardiola faces as he aims to get City back on track after a slow start to the season. start to the season.