Guardiola to discuss future with Stones
MANCHESTER City manager Pep Guardiola has said he will sit down with John Stones at the end of the club’s Premier League campaign and discuss the defender’s future.
Stones has struggled due to form and fitness problems since joining Manchester City in 2016 and the centre-back has fallen behind Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho, Eric Garcia and Nicolas Otamendi in the pecking order.
British media have reported that Stones, whose current contract at City runs until 2022, is a target for Arsenal and his former club Everton.
“I’ve said many times, and continue saying, I’m more than delighted with John as a person, as a professional, everything,” Guardiola told reporters.
“What I want is the best for him and at the end of the season we’re going to speak about what’s going to happen because sometimes my wish isn’t the wish of the players, or the wish for the situation of the club.
“I’m honest with them and the moment I feel – not with John but any player – we have to change, we’re going to tell them.”
Stones has been limited to 12 league appearances this season due to an ankle injury.
“Of course, what we want, for his future and for ours, is for him to come back and play and to be able to train during two, three or four months with no injuries. John’s struggled with his injuries,” Guardiola said.
“But the quality is there – never doubt it for one second. It’s just when you don’t play, are injured again, you’re rotated and injured again – players are good when they play in a routine ... you need minutes, playing being fit.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana is unlikely to play for the club again, despite signing a shortterm extension until the end of the season, as another injury would risk his next career move, manager Jurgen Klopp has said.
Lallana, who has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons, has not played since the league started back up after the Covid-19 shutdown and Klopp said the 32-year-old would not be risked despite being fully fit.
Lallana was set to leave on a free transfer when his contract expired on 30 June, but penned an agreement to see out the remaining matches of the campaign.
“It’s clear that Adam will leave the club in the summer ... He’s there and trains 100% but as long as we don’t need it he’ll just train,” Klopp told reporters.
“There were a lot of discussions about players with ending contracts, but his was not even a discussion: it was clear we would extend Adam’s contract and he wanted to do that as well. We’ll not put any risk on his future ... He’s one of the most important players since my time here so I wish him only the best for the future ... he’s already a legend here so he can now be a legend somewhere else from next season on.”