Danny Murphy has said that John Stones looked done and dusted at Manchester City, but has been magnificent this season.
The England international became a five-time Premier League champion yesterday, with Arsenal losing to Nottingham Forest.
City have got the job done, and it’s chance now for Guardiola to perhaps start resting players ahead of two major cup finals.
That said, Guardiola will likely also want to keep the momentum going ahead of those two finals.
It has been a relentless charge from City over the past few months.
Since the defeat to Southampton in January, City have been animalistic in their pursuit of success.
Guardiola’s side have brushed teams aside, and are now on course to complete a Treble.
Key to City achieving that amazing feat will be Stones, who has taken his game to a new level in 2023. The 28-year-old has recently been playing in a hybrid role to help City establish even more control in games.
And he has been outstanding in it.
Stones is now, without doubt, one of Guardiola’s most important players.
And that is fantastic to see, given he did struggle to convince in his first couple of seasons with the club.
In the eyes of former Premier League midfielder Murphy, Stones’ journey has been remarkable to see. He said in his column for the Daily Mail: “There is a reason why so many of Guardiola’s players come back better after being sidelined.
“Stones looked done and dusted at City but he’s been magnificent this season.”
John Stones has been utterly superb for Man City – he’s now one of the world’s best players
Stones has been remarkable for City in their pursuit of this Treble.
The man has been asked to play a very complicated role by the manager. But he has taken to it like a duck to water.
At this point, one surely can’t argue against Stones being one of the best players in the world. Not just defenders, but players.
He’s an outstanding centre-back, that does everything a modern-day defender should.
He’s now showing he can thrive in a hybrid role, and he’s also played as an orthodox right-back at times, too.
Whatever position he plays, he always plays to an exceptionally high standard. So that simply has to make him one of the best players in the world.
