There is news from Manchester City for all the clubs circling around the Etihad in pursuit of John Stones. Pep Guardiola has come out to the media and personally guaranteed that John Stones is set to stay at the club at Manchester.
‘I don’t believe people think we are going to sell John Stones,’ said Guardiola. ‘He is a young, England international player. He is a huge part of why I won the title. For the first six months he was amazing, but then he came back injured from the national team.’
Guardiola understands the situation with Stones is tricky and it may have affected Stones’ motivation having had to sit out of the team. However, the Spanish tactician is confident that his star defender is going nowhere and wants to help Stones improve.
‘He handled that situation, while Vinny [Kompany] came back on a good level, Nico [Otamendi] was then on an amazing level and Laporte’s impact from the beginning has been so, so good. So all four now have to compete against each other and the best one I am going to decide there.
‘But John is not going to move. I don’t know how long I will be here in Manchester, but however long I am here, John Stones will be here because he is a f****** amazing guy and he is going to stay here with me. It is a joy to train him. I want to help him.’
‘It is not easy being injured then coming back, being injured again and coming back, but John Stones is going nowhere. I’m sorry for the guys who announced we want to sell him and he will move on. I’m sorry, they lie.’
The news of Stones should come as a welcome one for Manchester City fans across the world. The defender is technically gifted, has excellent distribution skills and is very young. Under Guardiola’s careful tutelage he can become a world-class centre-back, given time.
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However, at Manchester City, the competition will be intense and Stones might have to sit out even more next season, should the Etihad owners decide to go shopping again. This would mean that Stones will have to weigh up the pros and cons of learning under Guardiola versus missing out on vital game time at this point in his career.
