Manchester City closed out 2023 with a win over Sheffield United in the Premier League – and injured star John Stones sent a message on social media.
Pep Guardiola‘s side picked up three more points, after beating Everton 3-1 earlier this week, to move to within just two points of leaders Liverpool.
It was a dominant performance from City, with Sheffield United looking to defend well and attempt to counter.
But opportunities to do that were few and far between, and City simply had too much quality – with Phil Foden probably the star of the show at the Etihad Stadium.
Rodri and Julian Alvarez got the goals for the hosts, with Kevin De Bruyne watching on from the bench after he finally returned from his injury to the matchday squad.
Hopefully, another injured player will be returning soon, with John Stones sending an optimistic message after yesterday’s game…
John Stones sends encouraging message after Manchester City beat Sheffield United
Pep Guardiola prompted a bit of concern when he spoke about Stones’ injury after the game with Everton.
The England international slid in to make a block on Beto and hurt his ankle, which was pretty needless with the offside flag then being raised.
Guardiola said after the game that the injury ‘does not look good’.
It is currently unclear how long exactly Stones could be out for. Pep did suggest he could possibly return for Newcastle United or after warm weather training in Abu Dhabi, but the manager did not speak with any degree of certainty.
After the win yesterday, Stones checked in with supporters on social media to allay fears he’ll be out for a long time.
He wrote the 25-word message on Instagram: “So good to finish the year with a win, what a year it’s been!! Gutted I couldn’t be involved today but I’ll be back soon.”
Stones can still play a huge part for City this season
It has been a pretty wretched season so far for Stones, who was such a key player last season en route to the Treble.
He is a wonderful player and plays that hybrid role so well, with City probably never looking stronger than when he and Rodri were patrolling together in the middle last term.
It has been a very frustrating period for him recently, but sadly injuries have always been an issue for Stones.
But he can still play a big part for City this season. From what he has written on social media, it doesn’t sound as though he’ll be out for too long, which is a huge positive.
Hopefully, he can recover well and start to build a bit of momentum in the second half of the season.
