LONDON (AP) — John Stones was substituted early after sustaining a suspected adductor injury in England's friendly match with Belgium on Tuesday.
The Manchester City defender was replaced by Joe Gomez after 10 minutes at Wembley Stadium.
Stones signaled that he was in discomfort after kicking the ball in the opening minutes, which prompted England to quickly prepare Gomez to come on.
“Of course we're disappointed if he's got a problem. It looks like it's in the adductor area,” England manager Gareth Southgate said. “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.”
The game ended in a 2-2 draw after Jude Bellingham’s equalizer in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Youri Tielemans had scored either side of an Ivan Toney penalty in the first half.
Stones is the latest injury concern for Southgate and City boss Pep Guardiola after Kyle Walker hurt his hamstring in Saturday's game against Brazil.
England coach Gareth Southgate speaks to England's John Stones during a friendly soccer match between England and Brazil at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, March 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Stones and Walker are both key players for club and country and are expected to be part of Southgate's squad for the European Championship at the end of the season.
City, meanwhile, is defending its Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup trophies in the final month of the campaign.
City plays Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals on April 9 and 17.
It also faces Premier League leader Arsenal in a top-of-the-table clash at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities said Thursday they have found tents and questioned three people in the case of two Australians and an American who went missing over the weekend in the Pacific coast state of Baja California.
María Elena Andrade Ramírez, the state’s chief prosecutor, would not say whether the three people questioned were considered possible suspects or witnesses in the case. She said only that some were tied directly to the case, and others indirectly.
But Andrade Ramírez said evidence found along with the abandoned tents was somehow linked to the three. The three foreigners were believed to have been surfing and camping along the Baja coast near the coastal city of Ensenada, but did not show up at their planned accommodations over the weekend.
“A working team (of investigators) is at the site where they were last seen, where tents and other evidence was found that could be linked to these three people we have under investigation,” Andrade Ramírez said. “There is a lot of important information that we can't make public.”
“We do not know what condition they are in,” she added. While drug cartels are active in the area, she said “all lines of investigation are open at this time. We cannot rule anything out until we find them.”
On Wednesday, the missing Australians' mother, Debra Robinson, posted on a local community Facebook page an appeal for helping in finding her sons, Jake and Callum. Robinson said her son had not been heard from since Saturday April 27. They had booked accommodations in the nearby city of Rosarito, Baja California.
Robinson said one of her sons, Callum, is diabetic. She also mentioned that the American who was with them was named Jack Carter Rhoad, but the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City did not immediately confirm that. The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports a U.S. citizen missing in Baja, but gave no further details.
Andrade Ramírez said her office was in contact with Australian and U.S. officials. But she suggested that the time that had passed might make it harder to find them.
“Unfortunately, it wasn't until the last few days that they were reported missing. So, that meant that important hours or time was lost,” she said.
In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed in western Sinaloa state, across the Gulf of California — also known as the Sea of Cortez— from the Baja peninsula. Authorities say they were victims of highway bandits. Three suspects were arrested in that case.
In this image made from video, Mexican security forces frisk men at a checkpoint in Ensenada, Mexico, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Mexican authorities said Thursday they have found tents and questioned a few people in the case of two Australians and an American who went missing over the weekend in the Pacific coast state of Baja California. (AP Photo)
In this image made from video, Mexico's police officers stand guard at the Ensenada station in Ensenada, Mexico, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Mexican authorities said Thursday they have found tents and questioned a few people in the case of two Australians and an American who went missing over the weekend in the Pacific coast state of Baja California. (AP Photo)
