Ruud Gullit has now been speaking about Manchester City No.5 John Stones and Pep Guardiola.
The Dutchman commented on the England international when chatting to Simon Jordan on the Up Front podcast.
So, what was said about John Stones and Pep Guardiola? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the Spaniard adores the £47.5m man nowadays.
However, it was not always like this.
Back in 2020 around this time of year, Stones found himself benched behind Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake after gradually slipping down the pecking order following his arrival from Everton in 2016.
The Guardian covered this topic at the time, with Guardiola stating that the Barnsley-born defender would “have the chance” to prove himself.
Fast forward to now, and Stones has done exactly that, developing into a player who is arguably one of the most important at the Etihad Stadium, having adapted superbly to a unique midfield role.
Gullit has now dug this situation back up when explaining how Guardiola himself has developed at Manchester City, saying: “How much did he spend to get the players at the back? Stones was not even his most important player, he put him on the bench. Then later he found out, oh he can play in midfield.
“Sometimes just one thing can change it.”
At one point, it really did seem as if Stones was going to leave Manchester City, although he fought back in admirable fashion to become a vital cog in a treble winning side.
John Stones now has a new battle at Manchester City
Unfortunately, Stones is now fighting against injury problems at the Etihad Stadium.
The 29-year-old suffered a knock in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over BSC Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League, having only recently returned from a lengthy absence due to hip and hamstring issues.
Guardiola said that Manchester City “are in trouble” as a result – and Stones will be out “for a while” in what is a major setback.
Hopefully, the England international can recover as soon as possible, and contribute to more silverware at Manchester City this season.
