Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he doesn’t expect John Stones to feature against former club Everton on Boxing Day.
The England defender has only just returned to action after missing six games across all competitions with a foot injury sustained in the Carabao Cup fourth round defeat by Tottenham at the end of October.
An unused substitute in the recent Manchester derby loss, Stones started against Aston Villa at the weekend but was replaced at half-time as City slumped to yet another defeat.
Speaking after the game at Villa Park, Guardiola confirmed that Stones had suffered a fresh setback, insisting he wasn’t in the right moment to make “tactical and creative changes”.
And now ahead of City’s clash against Everton on Thursday, the Spaniard revealed his doubts over Stones’ availability.
"I don't know, if he can't continue in the second half at Villa Park then maybe he won't be available,” Guardiola told reporters.
“We train this afternoon [Tuesday] so we will see how many players we have available,” he added, when asked about the latest Man City team news with regards to Ederson and Matheus Nunes, who missed the Villa game. “Right now, I do not know.”
Manchester City defender John Stones playing against Aston Villa in the Premier League
City welcome an Everton side that have kept five clean sheets in their last six games and held Arsenal as well as Chelsea to goalless draws to the Etihad Stadium, and Guardiola is not exactly looking forward to the upcoming test.
"They are not the perfect opponent,” he said. “It is about us to come back to our best. It will take time. We have to get results as quickly as possible.
“We are facing Everton and they are in a good moment, their results and performances show it."