Pep Guardiola Provides Man City Injury Update & Confirms 2 Stars Fit to Face Bournemouth
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that both Gabriel Jesus and John Stones are available for his side's trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.
The pair have missed City's last three matches with hamstring and groin injuries respectively, but have both now returned to training and are now in contention for Saturday's match.
In his pre-match press conference, Guardiola was asked whether Sergio Aguero could be rested, and the Spaniard used his response to confirm Jesus' fitness. He is quoted by The Independent as saying: “Gabriel [Jesus] is back. Raheem [Sterling] can play there too of course."
He then went on to add that Stones has also recovered in time for the fixture, saying: “John [Stones] is coming back too, like Gabriel [Jesus]. And we will see tomorrow what is the best, how tired they are, how their physical condition is. We will decide.”
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Stones could find himself immediately reinstated to the lineup in place of 32-year-old Vincent Kompany, who has been forced to accept a reduced role in the City first team in an attempt to manage his long-term fitness.
However, Guardiola also revealed that Fabian Delph remains unavailable, having only returned to training on Friday after suffering an ankle injury. He said: “He was injured but today he made the first training session with us. He’s not in the squad but he can play.”
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As a result, Delph will remain on the sidelines with both Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho, who missed Wednesday's victory over West Ham United as a result of muscular injuries.
The Citizens are just one point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, and victory over Bournemouth would see City return to the top of the table, albeit potentially on a temporary basis. Jurgen Klopp's side will face Merseyside rivals Everton on Sunday, and will remain in control of the division with a victory.
