It’s certainly been a positive week for John Stones, whose England performance has again been recognised in the press, while there’s suggestion the Blues are tracking a Bundesliga forward.
Stones was the Three Lions stand out player against Brazil and can be the foundation Gareth Southgate builds his team on.
That’s the opinion of The Telegraph’s Jason Burt, who is full of praise for his display.
He writes: “In the heart of that defence was Stones and as dominant as Brazil were there was a significant boost for England in the way he marshalled those around him.
“He represents the hope that things can progress and that the football England can play is moving forward and that there is faith and belief in a player like Stones.
“He has been England’s best player against the best two teams in the world. England did not score but they did not concede either and that is the testimony of a rock-solid, Stones-led defence.”
And it’s not only journalists left satisfied with the Barnsley man’s performance, but his national team manager too.
Gareth Southgate deployed Stones in the middle of a back three at Wembley and was happy with what he saw.
He told Sky Sports: “In the two games, I think John Stones has really shown his defensive attributes.
“He’s looked really mature, controlled the line and taken pride in his defending as well as being calm in possession. I think that’s a significant step for him.”
We’ll conclude with reports City are monitoring the progress of Schalke’s Breel Embolo, which come from the Daily Mail’s Amitai Winehouse.
He claims: “Manchester City are keeping a close eye on Swiss prodigy Breel Embolo.
“He has had a stunning rise since making his debut for Basle in the 2013-14 campaign.
“Cameroon-born Embolo scored just four minutes into his debut against Aarau and hit 21 in 61 Super League games for Basle before making the switch to the Bundesliga.”
