Manchester City fans have rejoiced at the news that defender John Stones has returned to the club prematurely from international duty with England as a precaution.
There has been growing concern at the back for City of late, after Ruben Dias was sidelined for a number of weeks at the start of March. And news that the 27-year-old Stones had to sit out of the Three Lions' 2-1 win over Switzerland on Saturday caused further concern. Despite Gareth Southgate's initial hopes that he'd return for their second friendly against Ivory Coast, news broke that Stones would return to the Etihad to continue his recovery from the problem.
In a statement released on Monday, England said: " John Stones has left the England camp and returned to Manchester City. Having withdrawn from the starting line-up ahead of Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Switzerland at Wembley, the defender has continued to be assessed.
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"After today’s session at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground, it was decided that Stones would play no part against Côte d'Ivoire on Tuesday and has returned to his club as a precaution." The news was greatly received by Blues fans as they gear up for an important run-in to decide whether the Premier League title remains in Manchester. Here's how they reacted on Twitter.
City sit a point clear of Liverpool ahead of the return following the international break. Pep Guardiola's kick-off their run-in with a trip to relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday before an intense 11-day period which will see clashes with Atletico Madrid and Jurgen Klopp in the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup semi-final.
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