John Stones breaks silence on Manchester City future amid Everton transfer talk | OneFootball

Manchester City defender John Stones has lifted the lid on doubts over his future at the Etihad Stadium after an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign.

The 31-year-old made just 20 appearances in all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s side over the course of the recent season, which have raised questions on where Stones ranks in the Manchester City manager’s pecking order.

Stones is entering the final 12 months of his contract and Manchester City are heavily stocked in the central defensive positions, having added Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis in January to their existing array of options.

Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol formed a strong, reliable pairing at the heart of defence in the closing months of the season as Stones recovered from a hamstring injury sustained in the second leg of City’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 exit to Real Madrid.

Stones made an impressive start to the Premier League campaign, with crucial goals late on against Arsenal and Wolves to gain Manchester City four points as they kept up with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

However, as has been the case for a significant part of Stones’ career in Manchester, the England international’s fitness – particularly recurring hamstring injuries – have let him down and derailed him from realising his true potential.

One of Guardiola’s first signings into his Manchester City tenure, the Barnsley-born defender has won six Premier League titles under the Catalan and produced a match-winning display in City’s UEFA Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in 2023.

Much like Jack Grealish in the last two seasons, Stones has failed to kick on and establish himself as a starting XI regular courtesy of injuries, which have seen him heavily linked with a summer exit as he enters the last year of his current deal.

Speaking to Rob Dawson of ESPN whilst in the United States for Manchester City’s ongoing Club World Cup campaign, Stones said: “I’m here, I want to stay here, I love it.

“I’m here to help, and I don’t know what’s been said or speculated, but I hope that kind of shuts it down,” the centre-half added.

Manchester City have six centre-halves at their disposal as things stand and Guardiola has said the club will trim their current first-team roster before the beginning of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.

Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake also struggled for fitness last season and returned to action in the closing weeks of the campaign, with Stones the favourite to be shown the exit door as Hugo Viana leads a major squad revamp after his appointment as director of football.