Pep Guardiola has now revealed that he was concerned to see Manchester City No.5 John Stones start for England against Italy.
The Spaniard made the comments when speaking in his press conference earlier on Friday.
So, what did Pep Guardiola say about John Stones? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the 52-year-old has been unable to call upon his £47.5m defender since the FA Community Shield defeat to Arsenal due to a thigh issue.
Despite only just returning to training before the international break, Stones was actually named in the England squad by Gareth Southgate, before surprisingly starting Tuesday’s UEFA EURO 2024 qualifier against Italy, which the Three Lions won 3-1.
That decision surely puzzled a lot of Manchester City fans who would have preferred to see the 29-year-old rested, and Guardiola has now admitted that he was worried to see the Barnsley-born defender starting.
As quoted by the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola said: “We were a little bit concerned. We spoke with Gareth, we have an incredible relationship. We were concerned because Stones didn’t play one minute in the last two months and then went to play for the national team. He’s so important and we could not use him. We’re happy he got minutes but what if he gets injured?
“So he plays some minutes and comes off. They love to play for their countries, I never say not to go there, but if a player plays we are concerned. Thankfully everything was right and he’s ready for next games.”
How Manchester City No.5 John Stones performed against Italy
It did not look like Stones was making his first start in months as he shone against Italy.
As WhoScored shows, the Manchester City maestro registered a pass success rate of 95.3% at Wembley on Tuesday, completing 64 passes in total – only Harry Maguire made more.
Stones also made one interception and one block on a night where he didn’t appear to be affected by that thigh problem one bit.
Hopefully, Guardiola will not have to go without the influential Stones again throughout the 2023/24 campaign, and he can remain injury free.
