Manchester City defender John Stones has revealed the difficult moments he went through due to injuries during the past season. Now fully recovered, the English player declares himself ready to fight for a place in the team. Stones, who missed 33 matches due to injuries, was only able to participate in six Premier League matches. A hamstring injury kept him out of action for the last three months of the season. The player has fully recovered and is available for the Club World Cup. Although he did not participate in the first match against Wydad AC, he is expected to have minutes against Al Ain on Sunday in Atlanta.
Stones was a key piece in the City team that won the Champions League in 2023, often performing in midfield from the central defender position. The player suffered several injuries, as did other defenders on the team, such as Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké. The situation worsened for Stones as he had to watch from the sidelines while City experienced their worst season in a decade. It’s frustrating for me. I put a lot of pressure on myself. Mentally it’s very challenging. I’ve had some very low moments in the past season and you just have to come back and once you get through those things, you can’t really see the end of the tunnel when they keep happening. It’s frustrating for the team, for me, for the coach, that you’re not available to help them, and you have to find another way to be close to the team. Stones explained that his injuries from last season were even more frustrating because City’s medical staff couldn’t find a clear explanation.I’m back, I feel great and I’m excited to start. It’s difficult when you’re injured. There were times when you think, you’ve put in all this effort, you dedicate your whole life, especially how I approach my life and football, I give it my all, on and off the field, to be here or be ready to play. Those are the dark days.
John Stones
Injuries played a significant role in City’s difficult season. This led Guardiola to suggest that he would only include in his squad players he could trust to be regularly available.I don’t know what the reason is, and we’ve sat down with the medical staff, sports science, to try and figure out why. Some things can’t be explained. Which is even more difficult mentally when there really isn’t an answer. I’ve been unlucky with some of the injuries I’ve had, they were very rare last season, after speaking to specialists. Sometimes I think, why has this happened to me?
John Stones
This put Stones, who has had injury problems throughout his time at the Etihad Stadium, in the spotlight. However, the 31-year-old player, who has one year left on his contract, insists that he is staying at City this summer, despite speculation about a possible return to his former club, Everton.
Speaking in Atlanta before the match against Al Ain, Guardiola suggested that the players will have to leave during the transfer window because he doesn’t want to work with an inflated squad. However, he looks forward to having Stones available again after a difficult season.I am here, I want to stay here, I love it. I am here to help the team, and I don’t know what has been said or speculated, but I hope that closes it.
John Stones
What we want from John is for him to be in shape. His job is to play football. That’s all we want, the rest, his talent, his skill, he will do. We are going to help him and I am sure he will do the rest.
Guardiola
