‘It doesn’t look good, probably but we will see. It’s his ankle.’ the City boss said when questioned by Amazon after the game.

In his post-match press conference, Guardiola added: ‘Hopefully the damage isn’t big and he can come back soon.’

Manchester City defender John Stones suffered another injury during the win over Everton

The defender went down after a collision with Toffees striker Beto, who was the flagged offside

Guardiola says Stones’ injury ‘doesn’t look good’ but remains hopeful he will return soon

The City bench appeared to be frustrated that play was allowed to continue momentarily despite Beto clearly standing in an offside position.

Since the 2020-21 season, referees have been instructed to keep their flags down until the passage of play is completed to avoid game-altering mistakes.

Stones’ season has been hampered with injuries and the win over Everton was just his fifth start in a frustrating season.

However, Guardiola provided a positive update on the fitness of Kevin De Bruyne who has been sidelined by a hamstring injury since August.

‘Kevin is close but he had fatigue yesterday and we have to be careful,’ Guardiola said. ‘When he was injured for three months, if you don’t handle the timings good you can get injured again.

‘The injury was serious so step by step but he’s training with us and he is so positive so soon he will be back. I’d love for him to play the next game or Huddersfield but what is important is keeping him fit for a long time, not for one game or another.’

Guardiola confirmed Kevin De Bruyne could return in the coming weeks after four months out