It appears that common sense has prevailed in regards to John Stones and his fitness | OneFootball

John Stones hasn’t featured for Manchester City since he was substituted at halftime of their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa at Villa Park in December. Since that game Stones has missed City’s past four games due to injury. It has been a frustrating season for the England international as he has once again been plagued by niggling injuries. But now it appears that common sense has prevailed with Manchester City’s handling of the centre-back.

Speaking before his team takes on Brentford tonight Pep Guardiola told the media that Manchester City will be taking a cautious approach with Stones’ return from injury. Guardiola added that John Stones needs time to build his fitness to be able to play every three days. Speaking about Stones’ potential return from injury, Guardiola explained: “I spoke with him, and he feels better. In the past, he feels better and can play maybe 45 minutes. We’re going to take a little bit longer to be sure that when he comes back he cannot make a step back. This is the situation with John. It’s not easy for him. He makes the effort to come back and try. I asked him to come back against Aston Villa and help us, but in the end, he could not play more than 45. That is not good. He has to recover well and needs more time to be able to play every three days.”

The 24/25 season has been another frustrating affair for John Stones. He has only played 12 games this season as injuries have plagued him all season. This follows on from his frustrating 23/24 season when he had a similar issues. He hasn’t been alone in this as Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake have all battled injury concerns this season. But in the case of John Stones, he has consistently been injured for the past two seasons.

But it appears that common sense has finally prevailed with Manchester City’s handling of the defender. There is nothing to gain from bringing Stones back before he is ready. He needs to be at full fitness to play at his best. That has been obvious to see over the past two seasons. Obviously needs forced Pep Guardiola’s hand against Aston Villa but it now appears that Stones won’t be back on the pitch until he is fully fit. That is the best outcome for him and for Manchester City.