As Manchester City have trained in Abu Dhabi there has been good news on the injury front from their midseason camp. John Stones and Erling Haaland have both returned to first-team training in a welcome boost for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Paul Hirst reports for the Times that Erling Haaland got training with his teammates on Monday without any pain in his foot. It is welcome news for the treble winners as Haaland has missed their past 9 games due to the injury. Furthermore, Hirst adds that Manchester City are likely to take a cautious approach with Haaland’s return. The striker has missed the last 6 weeks with his foot injury. Hirst adds that next week’s Premier League match against Burnley is looking like the game where Haaland will return to the City squad.
The other key piece of injury news has been John Stones return from an ankle injury. The defender has been out since his team’s 3-1 over Everton in late December. He has since missed the world champions past three games with the injury. His return will give the treble winners a key piece of Pep Guardiola’s squad. His importance to Manchester City can’t underestimated as the champions look like a different team with Stones in the lineup.
The return of Erling Haaland and John Stones to training is welcome news for the European champions. As they return to action this weekend against Tottenham in the FA Cup the season is set to enter a crucial phase. Pep Guardiola has previously stated that he needs his full squad available as City seeks to defend the treble they famously won last season.
Manuel Akanji is the only player currently out with an injury. His return date is unknown due to the knee injury he suffered against Huddersfield Town.
