Concerns about John Stones’ recent injury history have persisted, although Man City is willing to entertain an offer in the summer. Mick Brown, a former head scout for Man United and Blackburn who still has a lot of connections in the league, informed Football Insider exclusively that the 30-year-old is no longer in Pep Guardiola’s long-term plans.
In the meantime, the City recruitment staff has been putting in a lot of effort behind the scenes to find possible Stones replacements in the event that he leaves the squad. The center-back has only made 13 starts for City so far this season, and he has missed 28 club and national team games due to various injuries.
Man City supporters have suggested that Stones may retire, and most recently, a hamstring injury sustained in February is predicted to keep him out for the remainder of the season. Because Vincent Kompany is a huge supporter, they are therefore willing to consider offers after Football Insider revealed last summer that Bayern Munich wants to sign Stones.
Man City plan to sign John Stones replacement
Stones is among several players who might be replaced as Man City lines up five high-profile additions, Brown told Football Insider last month. After more than ten years at Manchester United at their most successful time, the former scout, who has a wealth of knowledge in top-level player recruitment, has now clarified that Guardiola has been concerned about the defender’s persistent injury problems.
He told Football Insider that he was not surprised to learn that City wanted to let him go. They will probably consider any proposals that are made for him, whether they are from Saudi Arabia or another country.He’s only likely to play about a third of the games, so you have to look at his injury history at some point and start asking others to step in.
“Players may experience that; it’s regrettable and could simply be bad luck.”However, Man City is working to assemble a squad capable of contending for championships on a regular basis. As I’ve stated numerous times, the cornerstone of any successful club is a strong defensive unit.
