Manchester City defender John Stones has opened up on the incident which left managerPep Guardiolafuming on the substitute’s bench.
The City boss opted to leave the England international on the bench for the game against Atalanta, keeping natural midfieldersRodriand Fernandinho in the center of defense.
Rodri wasforced off the fieldafter just 40 minutes, pulling up with a suspected hamstring problem, andStoneswas his replacement.
However, TV cameras caught Guardiolafume in the defender’s directionas Rodri left the field.
Stones confirmed that his manager was unhappy with how long the defender took to prepare himself.
The defender claimed he was adjusting his shin pads which caused Guardiola to slam a seat.
“I had them on but I just needed to fix them up properly,” he told (BT Sport) .
“Time is of the essence and that’s obviously what he wanted.”
The former Everton man admitted that he was delighted to return to action after his recent injury setback but said he had no problem with Guardiola opting to use his midfielders at the back.
Stones added: “Two top players to be able to come in and play in a position they aren’t used to.
” First season for Rodri and he’s slotted in *** brilliantly.
“It’s all new to him and he’s breezed it. Credit to him and credit to Fernandinho for helping him along.”
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