Pep Guardiola has expressed his frustration after learning that Kyle Walker picked up an injury while on international duty, drawing parallels to a similar incident involving John Stones last season.
Stones, who had started the last four league games for Manchester City leading up to March 2024, sustained a groin injury during a friendly match against Belgium. This injury sidelined him for key Premier League matches against Arsenal and Aston Villa. Though he made a brief return for the Champions League first leg against Real Madrid, a setback meant he could only play 11 minutes in the second leg. Stones recently spoke about Guardiola’s reaction to that injury, and the City manager remains furious about both the incident and the lack of communication surrounding it.
Reflecting on the Stones injury, Guardiola expressed his disappointment with how things were handled, particularly criticizing former England manager Gareth Southgate. He emphasized that players getting injured in friendlies—especially with crucial fixtures like Champions League quarter-finals and title races ahead—was unacceptable, given the club’s investment in their players.
“I was never as angry as that moment. Never ever before. I was so disappointed,” Guardiola said. “It was a friendly game, and we were preparing for the quarter-finals against Real Madrid and trying to win the Premier League. For two players to come back injured from a friendly—I didn’t like it at all.”
Guardiola added that communication between national team managers and clubs has diminished over the years. “In the past, the national team manager would call the clubs, but now nobody talks. Maybe the physios communicate, but the managers don’t. I know the players don’t want to get injured, and I always encourage them to go to the national team. It’s an honor. But in a friendly game, you can’t come back injured.”
He reiterated that clubs are responsible for paying players’ wages and, as such, should be respected when it comes to their fitness. “We are well-paid here, the club pays us, not the national teams. Sometimes you have to respect the clubs. In friendly games, you cannot be injured. You can play, absolutely, but you cannot come back injured.”
Walker, who played the full 90 minutes against Finland during the international break, returned to Manchester with a knee problem. He missed City’s trip to Wolves and is not expected to be available for their upcoming Champions League match against Sparta Prague.
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