Pep Guardiola recalls special London trip to sign John Stones for Manchester City

“One of the first signings – I remember perfectly travelling to London to meet him in my brother’s house and he was young, you saw his face in that moment,” Guardiola said on Friday afternoon.

“There are few players that you cannot understand what has happened in this period together (without them). He’s one of them. He was the best player by far in the UEFA Champions League final (against Inter Milan in 2023) in Istanbul – that means a huge personality.

“Now he feels fit, hopefully he can fight physically, the rhythm to be ready, and like Bernardo (Silva) a part of ourselves and not just me is leaving.

“His contribution has been massive, an incredible person on and off the pitch, also as a football player. Really pleased. I’m so grateful to live these years with a person like John.”

How Manchester City players have reacted to heartfelt John Stones exit interview

Will John Stones play for Man City again this season?

Stones played 90 minutes in Manchester City’s 2-1 comeback FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton at Wembley last week, having recently returned to full fitness.

The Barnsley-born defender is unlikely to start ahead of Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov against Everton on Monday night but with Manchester City playing six times in 20 days of May, it is difficult to envision a scenario wherein Stones doesn’t get on the pitch altogether.

Having impressed in defence against Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final, Stones will be desperate for a start in the FA Cup final against Chelsea as Manchester City pursue a domestic treble to give a fitting send-off to the Englishman as well as departing club captain Silva.