- John Stones made the England World Cup squad
- He still struggled for minutes at Manchester City
- Admits frustrations of receiving so few starts
John Stones has made it to the World Cup, but he has still had to endure a frustrating season at Manchester City.
There were plenty of surprises when Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions squad was named ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire missed out, but John Stones managed to secure his spot on the plane.
This is despite the fact he was injured for a large part of the season, and only made 18 appearances in all competitions.
John Stones was frustrated by his lack of minutes
While Stones was on the sidelines a number of times due to fitness issues, he struggled for starts even when he was available.
This was difficult for the defender, as he was so determined to play in what is likely his final World Cup.
"He [Pep Guardiola] knew how much I wanted to play!"
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 15, 2026
John Stones on his fight to be fit for the World Cup with England 🏴 pic.twitter.com/h6MFLcwji4
“Yeah definitely, 100 per cent,” Stones told ITV Sport about wanting to play more matches at Man City.
“And that comes down to a lot of things, a lot of factors. The manager, what was going on. But that’s something I can’t dwell on now.
“It’s always difficult to pick an 11, and I say this to him [Pep Guardiola]. And he knows how much I wanted to play, how much I wanted to be there. And yeah, you can look at it in so many ways.”
Man City moved on from Stones
The 32-year-old spent a string of matches on the bench early in the season, before suffering a thigh injury which kept him out for two months.
After returning from that, Stones continued to spend a lot of time outside the starting lineup, because City signed Marc Guehi.
This was unfortunate for Stones, but the needs of the club had to come first. Ultimately, there was no long room for the England international.
Stones has not been harmed by his City struggles
Despite his limited role at Man City, Stones will be afforded the opportunity to get some minutes under his belt at the World Cup.
In fact, it has been reported that Stones will start against Croatia, while Guehi must settle for a spot on the bench.
Therefore, even after the issues he faced in his final season at the Citizens, the Barnsley-born star could still prove important for his country in the coming weeks.
