Gareth Southgate supports John Stones’ choice to play for England, even after the Manchester City defender suffered an injury scare.

Gareth Southgate has defended his decision to start John Stones in England’s friendly draw with Belgium, despite the defender being forced off with an injury after just 10 minutes. Stones had played the full 90 minutes in England’s defeat to Brazil three days earlier and was selected to start again at Wembley. However, he suffered an abductor problem early on and was replaced by Joe Gomez.

Speaking after the match, Southgate acknowledged Stones’ injury but stood by his decision to play him. He pointed out that other national teams, such as Holland and Norway, have also started key players in consecutive matches. Southgate expressed disappointment over the injury and mentioned that Stones had not played for two weeks prior to the international break, so it was not an issue of overloading him. He emphasized his reluctance to send players back to their clubs if they are not fully fit.

Stones’ injury could be a concern for his club side, Manchester City, as they prepare to face Arsenal in a crucial Premier League clash on Sunday. This comes after Stones’ teammate Kyle Walker also picked up an injury while on international duty, although Walker is hopeful of being fit for the Arsenal match.

In addition to Stones and Walker, several other England players were absent for one or both of the friendly matches. Southgate admitted uncertainty regarding the availability of these players for the final Euro 2024 squad. However, he expressed satisfaction with the depth of options at his disposal, despite the potential absences.

Southgate highlighted that around 15 players were missing from the squad for the Belgium match, and there is still a lot to assess and consider. He acknowledged that some injured players will return in the near future, while others may not be available until later in the season. The England manager emphasized the importance of these two friendlies in testing the players against top opposition and learning valuable lessons for the future.