Manchester City have ruled out the possibility of selling their English defender John Stones this summer. According to recent reports, City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed that he has no intention of parting ways with his centre-back when the transfer window opens in the summer. The England international has been plagued with injuries in recent times which is why he has struggled to feature regularly for the Citizens during the course of this season. His first-team chances have also been hampered by the arrival of Aymeric Laporte during the January transfer window.
However, the Blues of Manchester have dismissed reports linking him with a move away from the Etihad Stadium. In a recent interview, Pep Guardiola addressed Stones’ future at the club and was quoted to have said, “John is not going to move. I don’t know how long I will be here in Manchester, but as long as I’m here, John Stones will be with us,”
“First of all, he is a ******* amazing guy and he’s going to stay here with me. He is a joy to train, I want to help him, and we cannot forget the first six months with Nico [Otamendi] was excellent, was top.
“And now he is trying to recover. When he is injured and comes back, injured and comes back, injured and comes back, sometimes it’s not easy.
“But John Stones is going to stay here with us. I’m sorry for the guys who announce we’re going to want to sell him. I’m sorry – they lie.”
Stones completed his move to Manchester City from Everton in the summer of 2016 and has gone on to make a formidable partnership with Nicolas Otamendi during the first half of this campaign. However, he has struggled to find form since sustaining an injury while being away with the English national team.
The Citizens won the league title earlier this month and are also the winners of the Carabao Cup this season. However, Guardiola will be aware that his team’s performance in European competitions needs to improve in the coming years. Retaining some of their top talents like Stones could go a long way in ensuring that the Citizens are well equipped to compete on all four fronts in the next campaign. The English defender has made 27 appearances for City this season, scoring three goals across all competitions.
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At 23, Stones still has his peak years ahead of him which City could look to capitalise on, in the near future. Only time will tell what lies ahead in the future of Stones and whether he can reignite his old form under Pep Guardiola next season.
