Pep Guardiola reveals major setback for Man City following Aston Villa loss

Pep Guardiola has confirmed another injury setback for Manchester City following their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.

City fell behind with goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers before Phil Foden scored a late consolation in the 93rd minute, marking his first Premier League goal of the season. The loss dropped City to sixth place, extending a poor run of form with just one win in their last 12 games across all competitions.

However, the defeat wasn’t the only concern for City fans. John Stones, 30, was substituted at half-time and replaced by Kyle Walker, prompting speculation that he had aggravated a previous foot injury. After the game, Guardiola confirmed to TNT Sports that the injury was indeed a recurrence.

When asked by Jules Breach about Stones’ withdrawal, Guardiola simply responded, “Yes,” confirming fears of an ongoing issue. Stones has managed only eight league appearances this season due to persistent injury problems.

City’s squad has been heavily impacted by injuries this season. Rodri remains sidelined with an ACL injury sustained in September against Arsenal. Kevin De Bruyne has struggled for form since returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out for over a month, while youngster Oscar Bobb is also unavailable.

Additionally, Guardiola recently revealed that Ruben Dias has suffered a muscular injury, ruling him out for three to four weeks. “He felt something during the match against United but pushed through, and now he’s out,” Guardiola explained.

Nathan Ake was an unused substitute against Villa, while Manuel Akanji has resumed training. “Manuel has been back in training for two days,” Guardiola noted ahead of

the match.