Pep Guardiola offers concerning update on fitness of Manchester City centre-back ahead of Liverpool clash

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered a somewhat concerning update on the fitness of John Stones ahead of the trip to Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.

The Premier League champions will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing midweek trip to Denmark this week.

After an eventful first-half that saw a red card, a goal ruled out, and a penalty missed by City, a solitary point was all that was rescued from the match in the second 45 minutes.

Thankfully for Pep Guardiola and his players, the dropping of points did not prove too costly.

After the 1-1 draw between Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla later in the evening, Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League knock-out stage.

While that will of course be a significant achievement for all involved, attentions will now very quickly turn to the weekend's Premier League clash against Liverpool.

𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗖𝗞-𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗦! 😍✅ pic.twitter.com/e5jjDZGpsN

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) October 11, 2022

In the run-up to this game, Manchester City have a number of fitness concerns to deal with, perhaps most notably concerning John Stones.

The England international has been ruled out of action since sustaining a hamstring problem on duty for Gareth Southgate's team.

After being withdrawn against Germany in the UEFA Nations League, Stones returned to Manchester City for additional assessment from club medical staff.

Now, providing an update on the fitness of the Englishman, Pep Guardiola explained, “He is getting better, but still he is not training with us.

“I don’t know (when he will return).

"Hopefully he will be better and back when he is fit."

As is usually the case with Manchester City, solutions are not too far away.

Despite his red card in midweek, Sergio Gomez remains an option in the City defence this weekend.

However, Pep Guardiola is more likely to hand further game time to Manuel Akanji.

The Swiss international has performed at the very highest level since joining the club, and accompanied by the talents of Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, and Nathan Ake, he is likely to have further success in defence across the coming months and years.