John Stones explains motives behind Everton departure

Follow us on Google Discover

The England international joined Manchester City in August in one of the summer’s biggest transfer moves.

Manchester City defender John Stones has opened up about his summer exit from Everton to FourFourTwo, explaining that the chance to work with Pep Guardiola was impossible to turn down.

Stones became the world’s second most-expensive defender of all time when he moved to the Etihad Stadium from Goodison Park for a £47.5million fee (as reported by BBC) in August, with the precocious 22-year-old putting pen to paper on a bumper six-year contract and becoming Guardiola’s eighth signing of a hectic summer window.

Stones was acutely aware of Guardiola’s reputation for aiding young defensive talents in achieving their full potential, as seen by the dramatic transformations of Gerard Pique and Jerome Boateng’s under the Spaniard’s tutelage, and the former Barnsley defender told December’s edition of FourFourTwo magazine that the opportunity to work with the former Barcelona boss was an absolute no brainer.

“For anyone in my position, when Pep wants you to join the club, it’s a no-brainer. He’s the best manager in the world, and to be given the opportunity to learn from him was massive.” Stones said.

“I watched Pep when he was at Barcelona and Bayern, but now that I’m here working with him it’s even better than I expected. He gets us all on the same page, knowing our jobs and responsibilities when we’re on the pitch.

“For any manager, getting that across to the players is one of the biggest things. We all go out there knowing how we want to play and how we should play.”

Stones has already made 15 appearances for City this season following his move from Everton; gradually adapting to the weighty demands of performing for one of Europe’s elite clubs, with Guardiola placing all of his faith in the young defender’s boundless potential.

Though Stones’ game is still riddled with flaws and inconsistencies, the 22-year-old holds all of the raw-assets that are required to go on and become one of the finest defenders in the Premier League, and playing under the guidance of one of the top managers in world football is only going to aid the young starlet’s development.