Fresh details emerge on defender's final months at the Etihad
A new report has shed light on why John Stones found himself reduced to a bit-part role in his final months at Manchester City, despite the defender maintaining he had been fit to play for most of the season.
The 32-year-old left the club as a free agent at the end of last season, ending a ten-year association that at its peak saw him regarded as one of Europe's finest ball-playing defenders under Pep Guardiola's system. But the manner of his departure has left questions hanging, with fresh details now emerging about the breakdown in the relationship between Guardiola and a player he once considered indispensable.
According to Sam Lee of The Athletic, sources close to the situation have revealed that Guardiola lost faith in Stones' ability to stay fit. The dynamic between the two was shaped by a fundamental difference in approach: Guardiola prefers players who push themselves to be available, while Stones, at certain points, took a more cautious approach to his own physical management.
Those around the City training ground had been genuinely impressed with Stones' recovery in the final months of the season and considered him to be in good shape, the report claims. That made what followed all the more difficult for those who observed it closely.
Despite Ruben Dias being injured and fellow centre-back Marc Guehi being cup-tied ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal in late March, Stones was left out of the starting lineup for one of the most significant occasions of City's season. Sources indicate that decision left a lasting mark on his final months at the club.
Stones himself alluded to the difficulty of that period while speaking ahead of the World Cup. Lee reports that the England international's comments before the tournament reflected the frustration of a player who felt his contributions in the closing stages were not given the recognition they deserved, despite the physical condition he had worked to achieve.
The sense of bewilderment around the training ground extended to a further incident later in the campaign. Sources told The Athletic they were bemused when Stones was only brought on very late during a home game against Crystal Palace in May — a cameo that many within the squad environment felt did not reflect his standing as a player or the fitness levels he had demonstrated in training.
The picture that emerges is one of a relationship that had run its course by the end of the season, with Guardiola's own departure and Stones' exit as a free agent representing two significant threads of continuity being cut simultaneously as director of football Hugo Viana began reshaping the squad.
The Carabao Cup final omission, in particular, is a detail that will resonate with supporters who watched Stones give so much to the club across a decade that brought six Premier League titles and a Champions League. The decision to leave him out of a major final while the natural alternatives were unavailable sits awkwardly alongside the club's subsequent confirmation that his contract would not be renewed.