AFC Bournemouth 0-1 Manchester City: 5 Talking Points

#3 Stones and de Bruyne an unwelcome injury blow for City

de Bruyne limped off with a hamstring injury just after the break, while Stones (groin) was soon replaced too

Injuries can come at any time, they are cruel and unforgiving. We all know that - but none more so than City key man Kevin de Bruyne this season.

Having just been gradually getting back up to speed after a recurrence of the knee ligament injury which sidelined him from August to December, this is the last thing he or City need at a crunch time in their season on all fronts. With three key passes and two tackles completed, the 27-year-old Belgian was enjoying a solid outing on the south Coast before hobbling off.

As for John Stones, the importance of a settled backline cannot be understated. His defensive partnership alongside Aymeric Laporte (hamstring) was ever-improving before the Frenchman's injury during their Carabao Cup Final win last weekend and now he's sidelined too - again.

Although Pep revealed it was a precautionary measure to avoid further damage, the Englishman will be sweating over his fitness and hope he recovers quickly. City now have a week before their next fixture, a home clash with Watford so there is more time than usual for recovery - for Stones at least, even if de Bruyne may be out for longer.

Pep revealed as much post-match, saying: "John was more of a caution, we will see tomorrow," said the manager.

"Kevin is his hamstring, it's normal. We played 25 games in 93 days I think. It means every three days and a little bit more we play one game so it's a physiological issue. We demand these guys play that way every three days when the body is not always recovered.

"Everybody is committed and we wait for Kevin to come back. Right now, Laporte is getting better. Stones felt better than Vinny, that's why I played John. His groin felt a little bit tight and we didn't take a risk. Now we have one long week and hopefully it can recover."