Italy great Leonardo Bonucci praises 'nasty and tough' Manchester United and Man City defenders

Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci has lavished praise on Manchester United's Harry Maguire and Manchester City's John Stones.

Maguire and Stones' partnership has been key for England during Gareth Southgate's tenure, during which the Three Lions have reached the European Championship final and World Cup semi-final.

However, the pair have had varying success for their clubs as Maguire was stripped of his captaincy at United and has fought a battle for his starting place, while Stones is now regarded as one of City's most important players and won the Treble last season.

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But after coming close to the exit door at Old Trafford in the summer, Maguire has enjoyed a renaissance this season and Italy great Bonucci praised him for overcoming heavy criticism.

“For me, Harry is an example. After all the stick and attacks he’s received, he still plays at Manchester United and is a regular for England. That’s indicative of his mental strength," he told The Sun.

“Maguire is a rocky and tough defender. His problem is that he was paid an infinite amount of money when he joined Man United. But just because of that, can’t he occasionally drop a clanger?

“He has shown that he’s mentally tough, has leadership skills, personality and intelligence out of the norm. Just like all of us, he may have some limits but he’ll be aware of them and iron them out to improve.”

Bonucci also heaped praise on Stones, adding: "There are moments during the game when you have to go to war and be ready to battle in the box as if a burglar was stealing in your house. But I struggle to find a deficiency in players like Stones,