John Obi Mikel has now heaped praise on Manchester City No.5 John Stones.
The Nigerian made the comments when speaking on his The Obi One Podcast.
So, what did John Obi Mikel say about John Stones? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the 36-year-old said that the England international is “massively important” to Pep Guardiola, and credited him with helping Manchester City “settle” after returning from injury.
Obi Mikel said: “I need to give massive praise to John Stones. Coming back from injury, you can see this City team are starting to settle again (because of him). John Stones is massively important.”
Make no mistake about it, the £47.5m man is crucial to Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
Stones has adapted to the Spaniard’s unique midfield role seamlessly, combining his defensive awareness and composure on the ball with his superb athleticism, which helps him get involved at both ends of the pitch.
Unfortunately, the 29-year-old has now suffered another injury setback, with Guardiola claiming that his No.5 will be out “for a while” after Tuesday’s 3-0 win over BSC Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League.
Rodri has a more significant role at Manchester City now John Stones is sidelined again
With Stones now facing another spell on the sidelines, Rodri has a crucial role.
The Spain international simply cannot get himself involved in another situation like the one with Morgan Gibbs-White, which saw him sent off and handed a three-game suspension.
Manchester City lost all three of those matches without Rodri, suffering defeats against Newcastle, Wolves and Arsenal.
That pretty much says it all.
The Spaniard is vitally important, and his importance has now only increased since Stones suffered another injury.
Hopefully, Rodri can stay out of trouble – and also avoid any injuries himself – or else Manchester City could fall apart a bit.
