STONES NOT EXPECTED TO REMAIN AT CITY

England international John Stones is not expected to remain at the Etihad Stadium beyond this summer. There were reports that in a bid to get more playing time ahead of the Euro 2020 later this year, he would move to Arsenal.

The Gunners needed a defender badly and wanted Stones but eventually they had to go with the Pablo Mari option. Arsenal signed Mari from Flamengo on a loan deal.

On Sunday, as Manchester City faced Tottenham Hotspur, despite the defensive issues and the need for a strong result, Pep Guardiola opted to ignore Stones and place teenage defender Eric Garcia on the bench. Even with Aymeric Laporte struggling with injuries, Guardiola has looked away from Stones even when fit.

Guardiola did not shy away from the topic when asked why he ignored the player. He Explained that Garcia played well so he decided to make him one of the options. He added that he tries to involve a lot of players in his games and optimize the squad depths.

Not too long ago, the Spaniard had challenged Stones to remain fit for him to be able to meet his potential. He said the player needs to be more available, play an entire sesonwhich could be every three days. The former Barcelona coach says the player has the power in his hands to work on being fit, with the tone Stones is not following recommendations which could be complicating his injuries. Guardiola seems feed up when he said for three and a half seasons the player has not been able to stay fit and meet his potential.

Stones could really be on his way out this summer while Guardiola adds another central defender.