John Stones's ‘defensive grit’ has been questioned by former team-mate Sylvain Distin who also says he cannot see Pep Guardiola making him a better centre-back.
Distin and Stones’s careers overlapped at Everton with the England defender’s first two-and-a-half seasons on Merseyside coinciding with the latter part of the Frenchman’s six-year spell at Goodison Park.
Distin insisted he loves and has a lot of respect for Stones, who is now at Manchester City and with 39 England caps to his name.
The 42-year-old recalled how he used to encourage a young Stones and even remind the rising star that his job when he got his early chances in the Everton team was to do well enough to keep him out of the side.