Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he has never been “so angry” as when defender John Stones was injured in an England friendly before the club’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid last season.
Stones, 30, was forced off with an abductor muscle problem after just 10 minutes of England’s 2-2 draw against Belgium in March.
The injury came just four days after the centre-half had played the full 90 minutes in a friendly defeat by Brazil, and meant Stones was only able to start one of the two legs against Madrid.
City captain Kyle Walker will miss Wednesday’s Champions League game against Sparta Prague having returned from England’s recent camp with a knee injury – which led Guardiola to outline his frustration at the Stones situation.
Guardiola said: “I was never so angry than in that moment. Never before was I so disappointed.
“It was a friendly game and we were playing quarter-finals against Real Madrid and in the Premier League to try to win it.
“It was a friendly game [with England], so for players to come back injured… I didn’t like it at all.”
Stones started the first leg and came on as a substitute a week later for the second as the tied ended 4-4 on aggregate, with holders City eliminated in a penalty shootout.
England boss Gareth Southgate defended his decision to play Stones in two consecutive games, saying it was “not about overload”, external as the defender had not played in two weeks.