Jamie Carragher weighs in on ongoing Chelsea and Manchester United transfer pursuit

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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes that Everton star John Stones should stay at Goodison Park despite interest from Chelsea and Manchester United, as explained in his Daily Mail column.

The 21-year-old has been the centre of a transfer furore this summer, with the Premier League giants circling [Daily Mirror] and the Toffees claiming he is not for sale. Despite being a hero for local rivals Liverpool, fellow-defender Carragher has had his say.

The Sky Sports pundit thinks the youngster should spend another couple of seasons with the blue half of Merseyside before deciding to whether to move on.

“He should ignore the noise, though, and stay right where is. The best place for him for the next two years is Goodison Park, working with Martinez,” writes Carragher.

“Why? For starters, it is the style of play Martinez implements. Stones is a great reader of the game, composed in possession and starts attacks from the back. Martinez will encourage him to develop those skills.

“There will be mistakes along the way, playing in that fashion, but Martinez would be more tolerant of them. I wouldn’t expect that to be the case with Jose Mourinho, who doesn’t accept mistakes or learning on the job from those in his team.”

Indeed, the centre-back has taken great strides at Everton in recent seasons.

David Moyes’s last-ever signing for the club, the defender has really come to the fore under Roberto Martinez. The Catalan has shown a greater trust in youth than his predecessor and figures such as Stones have been the key beneficiaries.

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Over the last two campaigns, he has become a regular in the starting XI, forming a great partnership with Phil Jagielka. He has done so well in fact, that Roy Hodgson has made him a regular in England squads over the last year.

If the player does decide to stay with the Toffees, then Chelsea and Manchester United could turn their attentions elsewhere. Both sides have been linked with moves for Valencia ace Nicolas Otamendi this summer [Super Deporte via Daily Express], and either may reignite the pursuit should their interest in Stones come to naught.

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