Pep Guardiola suffers blow as TWO stars miss training ahead of Man City’s crunch clash with Arsenal after international break injury misery for Treble winners

A key Manchester City pair missed training on Thursday and sparking fears they could miss Sunday’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Arsenal.

The fear of players getting injured during the international break is a major one for club’s and appears to have become a reality for City after two England stars returned sighting concerns.

There was also initial concern amongst the Three Lions ranks with both players now undergoing assessments back at City to discover the extent of their injuries.

Pep Guardiola‘s reigning Premier League champions host Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday, with the Gunners currently maintaining a one-point lead over City at the top of the table.

Arsenal’s last victory at the Etihad came nine-years ago when Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud scored in a rare 2-0 win.

Pep Guardiola could be without two of his most reliable players ahead of the crunch game

John Stones and Kyle Walker didn’t feature in the latest training session, with City set to decide whether they will be involved against Mikel Arteta’s team.

Hybrid star, Stones, limped off in the first-half of England’s 2-2 draw against Belgium at Wembley earlier in the week with a hamstring problem.

Meanwhile, Walker suffered a similar complaint as he was forced off after 20 minutes in the earlier match of the international break against Brazil.

The right-back was holding his left leg as he trundled off the Wembley pitch but has had longer to recover than Stones.

Premier League leaders Arsenal travel to the Etihad on Sunday seeking a rare win against City

John Stones and Kyle Walker both suffered injuries while on international duty with England

Walker suffered a hamstring injury against Brazil but has had longer to recover than Stones

There were further worries over Manuel Akanji’s fitness after the defender withdrew from Switzerland’s squad with a knock.

Commenting on Stones, England boss Gareth Southgate said: ”The first game wasn’t a game which was a high level in terms of intensity. 

‘We’ve done exactly what Holland did with Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake and what Norway did with Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland. It only seems to fall on us when there’s a question on that. 

‘Of course, we’re disappointed if he’s got a problem. It looks like it’s in the abductor area. He came in on the back of not playing for two weeks, so it’s not about overload. But I hate sending players back to their clubs injured.’