Man City hit by huge injury blow as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Buryne updates given amid Liverpool battle

Given that Manchester City has closed the gap on Liverpool in the Premier League title chase, they anticipate being without John Stones for an extended amount of time.

After winning the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, City defeated Everton 3-1 at Goodison Park. As a result, with a game remaining, the defending champions closed the gap on the Reds, who are leading the table, to only five points.

Pep Guardiola acknowledged that Stones’ ankle condition is a concern after the defender was forced off the field against Everton. The manager of City stated: “We’ll see, but it doesn’t look good. It’s his ankle.

When facing Everton, City had to fight back from a deficit, and their second goal was rife with controversy. On minute sixty-two, Nathan Ake’s effort from point-blank range struck Everton’s Amadou Onana’s arm, giving the visitors a penalty for handball. Along with Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, Julian Alvarez scored from the spot kick.

Against Everton, the Etihad Stadium team was far from their fluid best. Erling Haaland, who is still bothered by a foot ailment, was not among them. In contrast, talisman Kevin De Bruyne hasn’t played since August due to a hamstring ailment.

De Bruyne could return when City face Sheffield United on Saturday, but Haaland is set to be absent. Guardiola added: “He is training alone but he is not training with the team yet.

“I’m not a medical professional. He suffered excruciating pain from a stress fracture in his foot bones. Because of his size and height, he is not as slender as Phil Foden, which makes things more challenging at times. He will return to play when he is well, but the doctors visit each morning to determine which players are available. We play the games together once I form the squad.

Guardiola remarked, “Kevin is close, but we have to be careful because he had fatigue yesterday.” “If you don’t manage the timings well, you can get injured again, as he did three months ago.” The injury was severe, so gradually, but he is working out with us and is quite optimistic, so soon he will be back. I’d love for him to play the next game or Huddersfield but what is important is keeping him fit for a long time, not for one game or another.”