Barton ruled out
Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton will miss Saturday’s trip to West Ham.
Blues boss Stuart Pearce had hoped to have Barton back for the Upton Park encounter after the former England Under-21 international’s recent ankle injury.
However, while Barton has returned to training, he is not yet totally free of pain and will not be risked.
“Joey is out of Saturday’s game,” confirmed Pearce.
“He is back on the training field but he is still experiencing some discomfort.”
Pearce could also be without two more midfielders as Pearce has reported both Claudio Reyna and Antoine Sibierski are suffering from ‘slight strains’.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Micah Richards will sidestep tonight’s FA Youth Cup final first leg at Liverpool in order to continue his footballing education at senior level.
