Man City boss Pep Guardiola reveals whether John Stones will play against Man Utd

Manchester City boss provides injury update ahead of the derby
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed that John Stones will miss the derby against Manchester United this weekend. The defender sat out of the loss to Southampton in the Carabao Cup last time out and remains unavailable for the trip to Old Trafford.

The centre-back is not fully fit and hasn’t recovered in time for Saturday’s clash. With Ruben Dias still sidelined, Guardiola has a decision to make over who to play in the heart of defence against Erik ten Hag’s side. When asked about Stones’ availability in his pre-game press conference, he simply said: “(He’s) not ready.”

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The former Barnsley and Everton man has had an impressive season so far and his absence will be a miss against an in-form United side. He has made 15 appearances in all competitions this term, 12 of which have come in the league.

Aymeric Laporte and Kyle Walker started as the centre-back pairing against the Saints but the latter was subbed off at half-time. Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji both came off the bench at St Mary’s.

Speaking ahead of the United clash, Guardiola said: “It’s an important game. It’s always an important against United, it doesn’t matter what competition, especially in the Premier League but again it’s (just) a football game.

“They have improved a lot. It is normal. They had a new manager arrive. Obviously the improvement in their team is clear.”