Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is taking a safety-first approach with John Stones despite the defender being a crucial part of his tactical plans. The England international has played just 393 minutes of football for his club – and 91 for his country – due to a hip injury and while he was named in the squad for the 1-1 draw with Liverpool after a muscle injury Guardiola had no intention of using him. Stones has played a vital role in the continuing evolution of the side as the centre-back who steps forward in possession to allow midfielders to play higher up the pitch. Other players have been tasked with doing the same – the latest Manuel Akanji – but Stones remains the premier exponent of Guardiola’s game-plan but his manager wants to avoid more false starts after two failed comebacks already. “He feels good but we are going to give him one, two weeks to do proper strength training sessions,” said the City boss. “John is so important for us I let him play when maybe his muscles weren’t completely ready. He will train with us, either partial or completely, and the rest he is going to have strength training sessions in his legs to be sure when he comes back he feels stronger. “We need him because there are a lot of games. I know the man of the match (against Liverpool) was Jeremy (Doku) but at Stamford Bridge and yesterday Manu (Akanji) was believable. “What a signing the club has made with that guy; he can play full-back, central defender, now holding midfielder and when arriving in the final third he has the ability to make passes.” The game against Liverpool was the first of a scheduled 10 – but likely to be 11 – in 36 days until the end of December as it includes a trip to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup where they are expected to progress from their semi-final. John is so important for us I let him play when maybe his muscles weren't completely ready Pep Guardiola admits he erred in rushing back Stones That means Guardiola has to manage all his players, not just Stones, and he claims their training sessions will not last much longer than half-an-hour. “Maximum 30-35 minutes. Until Tuesday (the Champions League game with RB Leipzig) it will be 10 minutes on the pitch moving the ball and that’s all. “We cannot train. If we train we won’t have players for the next game. “We have learned from the past and you just understand what you have to do, the places you have to move, the press. “We have TV images and we talk individually in specific ways and after they make mistakes it is just about understanding what you have to to do.” Winger Doku put in the stand-out performance against Liverpool and Bernardo Silva hopes the 21-year-old, a £55million summer arrival from Rennes, can continue the form which saw him score and provide four assists against Bournemouth earlier this month. “He’s a very good signing and he’s been playing very well for us. Hopefully he can keep going, keep learning and improving and help us win titles,” said the Portugal international. “You cannot give him limitations, otherwise he loses his magic. We have to let him be himself and do his thing, whilst knowing he has a responsibility to help us when he doesn’t have the ball – but I think he’s been doing really well.” Read More Virgil Van Dijk says Trent Alexander-Arnold is ‘the complete package’ Jacksonville Jaguars hold off Houston Texans to remain in charge of AFC South All-conquering Jannik Sinner inspires Italy to Davis Cup glory Beth Mead scores first goal in over a year as WSL top three maintain momentum Alejandro Garnacho has the potential to do some amazing things – Erik ten Hag Players and fans evacuated from York Barbican as fire disrupts UK Championship

Texas A&M is working on a deal to hire Duke coach Mike Elko, replacing Jimbo Fisher with his former defensive coordinator for four years in College Station

The Boston Celtics will be missing two starters Sunday night against the Atlanta Hawks as Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are sidelined with injuries

South Africa's two-time Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi tasted victory on his Racing 92 debut as they beat La Rochelle 32-10 in Paris to take over the number one spot...

Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 364 yards and a touchdown Sunday as the Jaguars stretched their AFC South lead with a nail-biting 24-21 NFL...

What is the 2024 NFL Draft order after the Week 12 games and results? Find out here!

HOUSTON (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw for 364 yards and a touchdown, and the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars escaped with a 24-21 victory over the division rival Houston Texans on Sunday when Matt Ammendola’s 58-yard field goal attempt bounced off the crossbar with 34 seconds left.

James Cook dropped a perfect pass from Josh Allen.

In their first game after firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Pittsburgh Steelers thrived and picked up a 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Let's look at the AFC playoff picture after Pittsburgh's win in Week 12.

Lautaro Martinez ensured that Inter Milan kept hold of their two-point lead at the top of Serie A as he struck in Sunday's scrappy 1-1...

Italy's Davis Cup hero Jannik Sinner said it was a "special feeling" to end his team's 47-year drought in the...

Texas A&M is reportedly on the verge of hiring Duke head coach Mike Elko, a move that's been met with far more positivity than the aborted hiring of Mark Stoops.