Former Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany has backed his former teammate John Stones to show his true potential.
The centre-back joined City from Everton in 2016 on a transfer fee reported to be £47.5 million by Sky Sports. Stones has since gone on to make 111 appearances for the club, scoring 5 goals and providing an assist. Despite the presence of Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi and later, Aymeric Laporte, the 25-year-old managed to play a lot of first-team football under Pep Guardiola.
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Now, with Kompany gone and Laporte injured, Stones will be marshaling Manchester City’s defence for a while. The Belgium international feels that his former teammate is among the most talented defenders and has a bright future. As quoted by Sky Sports, Kompany said: “I’ve always said John is one of the most talented defenders. He’s got such a bright future. He’s already achieved a lot, let’s not forget that. He’s not a young defender anymore that hasn’t got any experience. He’s a multiple Premier League-winning central defender that is growing.
“The one thing I wish for him is consistency – consistency of games and consistency of fitness – and then he will show the world how good he is. By the end of it, if City can win a Champions League or something, all of a sudden he’ll be mentioned in a completely different category. He just has to get himself on the pitch, be himself and he’ll be fine. I’ve not seen signs of weakness I need to be worried about. He’s just a top-class defender. If now he gets to play games things will sort themselves out, no doubt.”
Stones is among the finest ball-playing defenders in Europe and he has the potential to be held in the same regard as a Terry or Ferdinand. As Kompany mentioned, consistency is key for the 25-year-old.
Laporte’s injury is a big blow to Manchester City but they still have a quality defender in Stones who can command the backline. With the international break over, Guardiola’s lads play their next Premier League game against Norwich City tomorrow.
