Micah Richards has said that especially in recent weeks, Manchester City defender John Stones has been absolutely elite.
The well-liked pundit lavished praise on to the £47.5 million (Sky Sports) on BBC 5 Live Sport’s Monday Night Club.
Reflecting on Manchester City’s 2-1 win in the FA Cup final, Micah Richards reserved special praise for John Stones’ impeccable display.
Micah Richards raves about Manchester City centre-back John Stones
Even Danny Mills said on Monday that was in awe of how the Englishman had adapted to his newfound hybrid role, where he rotates between either centre-back or right-back and central midfield.
Jamie Carragher went as far as to liken the former Everton colossus to legends of yesteryear like Lothar Matthaus and Matthias Sammer.
Now, Micah Richards has also expressed his admiration towards John Stones and his impressive reinvention.
“I thought John Stones’ performance again…this last month has just been a different level.”
“But to go in the middle and turn, and dictate the game from midfield but look as though you’ve got so much time on the ball whilst doing that…watching that over the last couple of weeks has been a joy to watch.”
Not many centre-backs in world football can replicate John Stones’ role
As Micah Richards said, the role John Stones is currently playing in this Manchester City side is far more complex than he makes it look.
Many would be reductive in simply claiming that any centre-back that is proficient on the ball could play said role without breaking a sweat.
What makes Stones’ current role extremely challenging is that he must be at the top of his game, both defensively and offensively in every phase of play whilst returning to centre-back out of possession.
From making overlapping runs at left-wing to dictating the game in the middle the park and making last-ditch challenges inside the box, Stones is doing it all, which not many centre-halves in the world could even dare to try.
