Ally McCoist says Manchester City have suffered a huge blow after losing John Stones to injury again, as he called the star ‘different class’.
City progressed through to the knockout stages of the Champions League with a comfortable 3-0 win over BSC Young Boys at the Etihad Stadium.
City made it four wins from four, thanks to a brace from Erling Haaland and a goal by Phil Foden.
It was a dominant display from City, even without the likes of Rodri and Bernardo Silva.
The expectation was for City to produce a dominant display and it was a very professional job in the end from Pep Guardiola’s side.
It would have been a perfect night, but sadly, Guardiola delivered some bad news after the game about John Stones.
He was taken off at half-time and replaced by Nathan Ake, and the manager has suggested he is now set for another spell on the sidelines.
Ally McCoist reacts to Pep Guardiola’s injury update about Manchester City star John Stones
After the game on TNT Sports, Pep was asked about Stones.
The manager also gave an update on Manuel Akanji, stating that he had picked up a small back injury in the warm-up, forcing him to miss out.
But he then confirmed the fears of supporters about £250,000-a-week man Stones, stating that he was ‘out again’. When pressed about whether he could be on the sidelines for a while, Pep said ‘Yes I think so’.
He said: “Well that’s a blow. Stones has been different class. He just moves into that midfield position. I saw him a couple of times on the right wing! He’s added things to his game. He’s really really comfortable. That’s a blow.”
Losing Stones is indeed a big blow
The news about Stones is such a shame for him and a major blow for City.
He had only just returned from his last setback and now it appears he’s going to be on the sidelines for some time again.
You could see the disappointment etched on Guardiola’s face as he spoke about him. He rates Stones so highly – as evidenced by reports of the manager wanting him to sign a new deal – so to lose him again is difficult to take.
Him and Rodri in the midfield is the combination that gives City what Pep craves the most: control.
Fans will now patiently wait for an update on Stones’ condition. Hopefully, the 29-year-old isn’t going to be out for months.
