John Stones' Manchester City career in danger of ending on a whimper

John Stones' time at Manchester City is in danger of ending on a whimper. 

The defender has only made 15 appearances this season, and during a campaign which has been plagued by injury issues, slowly phased out of a team which has other centre backs making regular appearances in the first eleven. 

With reports emerging of Stones possibly announcing his departure next week, it will be the changing of the guard at the Etihad, and if manager Pep Guardiola's recent comments are to go by, then Stones' playing time is almost up. 

Guardiola fails to reveal whether Stones will play in FA Cup semi-final

City return to action on Saturday when they face Southampton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, and after playing just three days prior, there is expected to be significant rotation, also known as 'Pep Roulette'. 

Whether Stones will be involved is unknown, and when asked at his pre-match press conference, Guardiola delivered a response which gave nothing away. 

"Depends on the manager," Guardiola said before following up with "Yeah definitely, I call you later," when a member of the media asked whether he would expand on his comments. 

Guardiola's exchanges with the media are always open to interpretation, but judging by these comments, the 55-year-old has little to no interest in playing Stones unless he really has to.

Stones injury struggles signal beginning of the end

When it comes to the business end of the season, Guardiola tends to go for consistency with his team selection, and pick more or less the same lineup when possible. 

There is no doubt for Saturday's clash with Southampton, there will be changes after a relentless spell which will have seen City play three games within the space of a week. 

Following the conclusion of the March international break, Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov, have been the centre back pairing Guardiola has chosen while Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Stones have been sidelined. 

Stones did appear on the bench for City's last two matches, but that may have been a case of just plugging the gaps instead of being an active part of Guardiola's plans. 

A nine day break is set to follow for City after the clash with Southampton, and may be Guardiola believes he can squeeze one more match out of the Guehi-Khusanov partnership

Stones is someone who throughout his career has struggled with injuries, and is currently recovering from a calf problem picked up last month. 

This is the third significant injury Stones has picked up this season, and as a result, reports have suggested he is being cautious when it comes to his fitness, especially in a World Cup year where Thomas Tuchel still sees Stones as an integral part of his England squad. 

For Guardiola, once he knows a player is able to train, regardless of what stage of recovery, he will expect them to fully commit to training, so there is a chance he is getting frustrated with Stones' reluctance to give his full effort in training. 

With Nathan Ake also returning, there is a chance the Dutchman may be preferred to Stones if Guardiola decides to change his centre backs against Southampton. 

If Guardiola has indeed had enough of dealing with Stones and his injury issues, it will be a real shame for Stones' time at City where at one stage, he was undroppable. 

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Stones is a player still held in high regard by City fans, his name is frequently sung on the terraces in England and across Europe, and he will not be forgotten for the part he has played in a team which dominated English football, and became only the second English club to win 'The Treble'. 

But with City undergoing significant changes when it comes to players, and possibly manager, it was inevitable that at some point, Stones would find himself being shown the exit door at the Etihad Stadium.

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