Manchester City have been handed a huge blow as John Stones had to be substituted late in the first half through injury in the side's FA Cup fourth round clash with Arsenal. It could be a major problem for the Citizens as the defender has been an ever-present force for the side this season.
It came during a tense battle between England's current top two in the FA Cup, where neither side were able to find a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes. The Gunners made a number of changes, with six switches made by Mikel Arteta, while Pep Guardiola made just the two.
Stones being absent through injury could prove to be a misjudgement by Guardiola in choosing his side, with a huge few matches ahead of him. Next up for City are Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Sunday, which poses a huge challenge for the current champions.
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The two sides met earlier this month in the first clash at the Etihad Stadium, where Spurs raced into a 2-0 lead just before half-time which led to a flurry of boos from the home crowd. Whatever Guardiola said at half-time worked though as his side fought back to win the clash 4-2.
The Spaniard was far from happy after though, having a rant in which he claimed he doesn't recognise his team in the way they played: "We have an opponent in Arsenal who have the fire. I don’t recognise my team, my team always has passion and desire, and everyone runs and everything."
With Stones potentially missing the Spurs game, City could be even more vulnerable at the back, with a clash against Arsenal just two games later. The diagnosis of the issue remains to be seen at this stage though, with news likely to come in the next few days.
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