“I want him to be fit” – Pep Guardiola admits injuries have held John Stones back at Manchester City

“I want him to be fit” – Pep Guardiola admits injuries have held John Stones back at Manchester City Stones was on the bench in Man City’s 1-0 win vs Burnley in midweek City play Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday evening Guardiola admits Stones’ fitness troubles have held him back during Man City career Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reflected honestly on John Stones’ struggles with injury over the course of his time at the Etihad Stadium. Stones is expected to announce his departure from Manchester City in the coming days as he approaches the end of his contract amid his side’s pursuit of a domestic treble. The 31-year-old was one of Pep Guardiola ‘s biggest signings in the Catalan’s first summer in charge of Manchester City in 2016, having shared every step of the journey in north-west England with his manager.

There remain doubts over whether England manager Thomas Tuchel will call upon Stones for the FIFA World Cup this summer after another injury-ravaged campaign for the Barnsley-born centre half. Pep Guardiola press conference: Rodri injury update ahead of FA Cup semi-final against Southampton Will Stones play for Man City vs Southampton? Stones has struggled for fitness since December 2025 and his worrying availability saw executives at the Etihad Stadium bring in Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace in January after Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol sustained injuries in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea .

Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov have played in central defence for Manchester City largely during their purple patch since March, with Dias nursing a hamstring injury and Gvardiol also not fullt fit yet. Nathan Ake remains available and starred in the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal in March. Speaking in a press conference ahead of Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final with Southampton at Wembley, Guardiola was asked whether Stones is in line to feature for the Blues on Saturday evening.

“It depends on the manager. That’s for sure,” the 55-year-old said. Asked whether Guardiola can give a further clue on Stones’ chances of selection, the Manchester City manager added: “Yeah, definitely, I’ll call you later,” in a characteristically sarcastic tone.