Stuart Pearce says ex-Everton defender John Stones is now playing ‘the football of his life’ at the all-dominant Manchester City.
At the age of 28, John Stones has now won an incredible five Premier League titles, after beating Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to the line during this campaign and Pearce claimed ‘there wouldn’t have been a title race’ if it wasn’t for the Gunners, as he told PL Productions (20/05/23 at 7:35 pm).
Back in 2016, Stones was playing out from the back in the colours of Everton and showcasing that he was this new breed of modern centre-backs, slightly rare given that it was an Englishman doing it.
It wasn’t a surprise that he caught the eye of one of the top coaches in the world in Pep Guardiola, who backed Man City to sign him for close to £50 million (Sky Sports).
At the time, many questioned that deal, well, fast forward to the present, and that’s no longer the case.
Former Man City manager Pearce lauded Stones for where he has taken his game, alongside his teammates.
“John Stones, for instance, he is playing a brand of football that is the football of his life,” said Pearce.
“You can go right through the whole team and the whole squad, in respect of that – they have been worthy of champions, credit to Arsenal, if it wasn’t for them, then we wouldn’t have had a title race.”
ENGLAND’S JOHN STONES PLAYING THE BEST FOOTBALL OF HIS CAREER AT MAN CITY
There is no doubt that Stones is now England’s best and go-to defender. Whilst the right-back spot is stacked with talent, the same can’t be said for those at centre-back.
But, one thing is for sure, Stones is now the main guy heading into Euro 2024 for Gareth Southgate because he is playing the best football of his career.
In recent months, he has even started to play this hybrid role and stepping into midfield and prove to the world that he can take his talents to even higher levels.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
