Another club hero is to depart Manchester City at the end of this season

The full clip of John Stones announcement that he will be leaving City can be found at the link above.

Manchester City have also confirmed on their official website that John Stones will leave the club after spending 10 years at the club. In that time, Stones helped City win 19 major trophies. The elegant centre-back has left a major mark at City during his decade at the club.

It has somewhat been forgotten just how good John Stones was for City.

Unfortunately, injuries have wrecked recent seasons for John Stones. Due to this, it has somewhat been forgotten just how good Stones was for Manchester City. He was an important player in a City side that won 19 major trophies during his time at the club. Stones was almost the prototypical Pep Guardiola centre-back given just how good he is in possession. There was perhaps no greater instance of this than the role that John Stones played for City during their treble-winning season in 2022-23.

Pep Guardiola tasked John Stones with playing as a centre-back out of possession for City at the backend of the 2022-23 season. In possession, Stones became a midfielder for his team. That role required exceptional technical and tactical ability. Traits, that Stones has in abundance. He was dominant in this role, and the best performance from the elegant centre-back came in Manchester City’s famous 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the 2023 Champions League final. Stones controlled the match in midfield, and he played a key role in Manchester City’s triumph in Istanbul. If any performance encapsulated John Stones at his best, that was it. It was a performance for the ages from the England international on the biggest stage.

Final thoughts.

It isn’t a surprise to see that John Stones has announced that he will leave Manchester City at the end of this season. That move has felt on the cards for some time. It is sad to see the news now confirmed. John Stones has been a superb contributor and a hero for City during his decade at the club. His contribution has been integral to Manchester City’s era of dominance and it is hoped that Stones receives a fitting tribute at the end of this season.