Gary Lineker has labelled one Manchester player as being world-class, but it isn’t Kevin De Bruyne or Erling Haaland.
The Manchester club have a significant number of players in their squad who have contributed to the success they have enjoyed under the management of Pep Guardiola.
Now though, as the Blues aim to win another Treble, one pundit has highlighted one figure in Guardiola’s ranks that he feels is at a world-class level.
Lineker hails ‘world-class’ City star
Speaking in a recent edition of The Rest Is Football, Lineker had this to say on the matter.
He said: “John Stones, I would say is world class at the moment.”
City signed the defender from fellow Premier League side Everton back in the 2016 summer transfer window in a deal worth an initial fee of £47m.
Since then, the Englishman has gone on to make 251 appearances for the Manchester club in all competitions.
Across those appearances, Stones has chipped in with 16 goals and six assists as well as winning numerous trophies including five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA SuperCup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Last season saw the centre-back be deployed in a hybrid midfield role, which Guardiola praised the Englishman for adapting to back in April last year.
In fact, back in November, Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold had this to say about what Stones has been doing on the pitch.
He said: I think as someone who plays the inverted, hybrid role – I don’t know what people call it these days – then it is obviously John Stones.
“He is someone who, for a long time, I have admired his game; he is exceptional, so I watch him a lot – clips or even when I am just watching [Manchester] City’s games, I will sit and focus on him.
“He is pivotal in that team and someone who is massively underrated but like we have seen recently, when you take him out of the team, they are not the same. That just shows how important he is.”
While the 29-year-old has had a difficult season due to injury issues, we feel that if he can stay fit for the remainder of the campaign, he could play a big role in whether or not the Blues end up regaining their three titles.