Pep Guardiola has confirmed defender John Stones will be sidelined with an injury until after the September international break.
Stones has missed Manchester City’s first two Premier League matches, having picked up a muscular injury during pre-season, and will also be unavailable for their next fixtures against Sheffield United and Fulham.
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The 29-year-old was an unused substitute during City’s UEFA Super Cup victory over Sevilla last week and has not featured since the FA Community Shield loss to Arsenal.
“John will not be ready until after the international break," Guardiola told the club's official website. City's first match after the international break will be a trip to West Ham United on 16 September.
Reshuffling defence
With Stones ruled out, Guardiola has been forced to shuffle his defence.
The back four for City’s opener against Burnley was (from right to left): Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis.
In Saturday's 1-0 win over Newcastle United, it was Walker, Ruben Dias, Akanji and Josko Gvardiol.
Without the versatile Stones, who had been stepping up into a holding-midfield role when City were in possession, Guardiola has instructed Akanji to fill this position.
The contrast in Akanji's heat maps below from his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers 12 months ago and on Saturday shows how much the Swiss has had to adapt, and with little training.
But, after playing all across the City defence last season, it showcased his versatility for his manager.
“With John Stones' injury I had two or three training sessions in there [holding midfield] and I’m starting to feel pretty comfortable now,” said the Switzerland international on Saturday. “But I think it’s the fifth position I’ve played in this team now.”
