Inter’s John Stones suffers thigh injury on debut start, faces 3-4 weeks out

John Stones made it roughly 62 minutes into his first competitive start for Inter Milan before his body filed a familiar complaint. The 32-year-old English defender was substituted during Inter’s 5-3 victory over Udinese on September 14, replaced by Benjamin Pavard after suffering a left thigh flexor muscle strain. Clinical and instrumental tests confirmed the injury on September 17, with the club announcing an expected recovery window of three to four weeks. What happened against Udinese Inter were cruising to a high-scoring win when Stones pulled up in the second half. The centre-back, who had arrived at San Siro on a free transfer from Manchester City on July 30, had shown promising signs during pre-season, even finding the net during a friendly against Real Betis. The injury immediately rules Stones out of Inter’s Serie A fixture against Roma on September 19. Re-evaluations are scheduled in the coming weeks, but the club’s initial timeline suggests he won’t be available until mid-October at the earliest. A pattern that won’t quit Inter, willing to bet on his quality when available, signed him to a two-year deal worth approximately €4 million per season. It was a classic low-ris...