It has been five years since Everton sold John Stones to Manchester City and Romelu Luaku has shared that he knew his qualities from ‘day one’.
The Inter Milan star stated on Twitter that the now-Manchester City defender, 27, who he played with at Everton, is a ‘baller’.
When those at the Etihad initially secured the services of Stones, there were a lot of eyebrows raised for the £48 million fee Man City were paying (Guardian).
But with a number of Premier League titles and League Cup trophies under his belt, Stones has proven that he and Man City made the right call.
There are still question marks over his defensive qualities, because whilst he has lifted trophies at the Etihad, it has come after a few bumpy roads.
This time last summer, his future in Manchester was in doubt after he fell out of favour with Pep Guardiola.
But the arrival of Ruben Dias last season didn’t only lift Man City’s defensive game, but also helped him mature at the back.
That ball down the channel and in between the fullback will always be his kryptonite because he still struggles to deal with that side of the game.
But he is reading defensive plays in front of him a lot better and he has always had the quality to play out from the back.
England have secured three clean sheets from three matches at Euro 2020, and he has played a part in each one of those games.
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