The signs from an injury-prone Manchester City defender were promising against Palermo | OneFootball

It has often been forgotten over the past two seasons just how good John Stones is as a player when fit. At his best, the injury-prone centre-back is a vital player for Manchester City. The problem has been that over the past two seasons, Stones has been consistently injured. But the England international started Manchester City’s 3-nil win over Palermo last night. John Stones put in a promising performance as he bids to play a key role for Manchester City next season.

John Stones got through a promising 45 minutes against Palermo.

First of all, it must be said that it was a relief to see John Stones get through the first half of last night’s match unscathed. The centre-back didn’t play a minute of Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign. Instead, he has worked on his fitness over the summer. John Stones missed the majority of the second half of the 24/25 season due to injury. So he was coming from a long way back, fitness-wise, this summer. Stones got through the first half of yesterday’s match, which was a significant positive for Manchester City.

Besides that, the performance of John Stones was full of promise. He was good with the ball, as he always is. Stones added to Manchester City’s attacking play when Pep Guardiola’s side had possession. The ability of Stones to take up dangerous positions in the final third almost paid dividends midway through the first half. He saw a shot blocked after getting himself into a good position through some intelligent build-up play from himself and his teammates.

The England international defended well when required. There was also the potential of a centre-back pairing with Abdukodur Khusanov that was on display. Given that Manchester City will play so many games during the 25/26 season, the pair could play together throughout next season. Their performance together gives food for thought ahead of a new season if nothing else.

Pep Guardiola believes that Manchester City needs John Stones.

Speaking after his team’s win over Palermo,  Pep Guardiola spoke of the importance of John Stones to his team. The Manchester City manager believes his squad will benefit from having Stones available. Speaking on Stones’ importance to his team, Pep Guardiola said: “In the years of the Treble and quadruple, John Stones was massively important for us.”

“He is a top-class player, but last season he played less than 30 per cent of the games for us. He was injured a lot of time.”

“What we want is for him to be fit. He didn’t play much in the Club World Cup. He played the first 45 minutes here, and it’s step by step because we need him.”

John Stones came through yesterday’s match unscathed. That is a huge positive. But he also showed that he could play a pivotal role for Manchester City next season. The hope is that Stones’ performance last night carries into the new season. He must stay fit for that to occur but the performance of John Stones was promising to say the least.