John Stones Suffers Apparent Injury vs. Bournemouth

Manchester City centre-back John Stones was substituted out of his team's clash with Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday with a possible injury.

City confirmed the change, which saw club captain Vincent Kompany replace him:

Sam Lee of Goal provided more details, with Stones only returning to action in this encounter following a recent layoff:

The injury was the second major blow of the day for City, with Kevin De Bruyne also leaving the game due to an issue before half time.

After a difficult debut season at the Etihad Stadium in 2016-17, Stones has stepped up a level since, becoming a key man in City's defence. He's making savvier decisions at the back, winning physical battles and getting increasingly astute in his positioning.

What makes Stones special and important to this City side is what he does on the ball. The former Everton man is often the catalyst for Pep Guardiola's side to move forward, as he can carry the ball through phases or split lines across the pitch with his sharp passing.

City have splashed the cash to bolster this area of the side in recent years, but Aymeric Laporte should be sidelined for a few weeks after picking up an injury in the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea. 

Kompany is still a high-level performer, though, but he has also suffered numerous injury woes in his City career.

Stones is often a linchpin for Guardiola at the base of the team, and while City should get by without the defender, the centre-back helps bring the Citizens' football to life. Should he need replacing in the coming fixtures, there are big shoes to fill.