John Stones might be giving Pep Guardiola a new Man City transfer consideration

John Stones was arguably Manchester City’s best defender last season - if you can still call him that. The England star was moulded into a hybrid centre-back-cum-midfield-pivot and has never looked more at ease.

He was instrumental in the club’s Treble run and perhaps City’s defensive leakages this season have been a result of his absences. The 29-year-old is currently nursing his third injury of the season and has now missed 10 matches due to setbacks, being left on the bench for six more games with Pep Guardiola not ready to risk him.

City have had notable defensive lapses this campaign when Stones has been absent, including conceding four against Chelsea and three against Tottenham. Rotation has perhaps been a reason for this with City often not having a settled centre-back pairing for consecutive matches.

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It may give Guardiola food for thought about the future. Ruben Dias has not managed to replicate his usual high levels while Josko Gvardiol is still quite raw. Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake are brilliant defenders but few would put either in their ultimate first-choice centre-half pairing.

Stones and Dias were the primary selections last season but have only started two Premier League matches together this term due to injury and poor form. City may still be in the title race, the FA Cup and Champions League but Guardiola has always made a point of future-proofing his side.

This is not hinting at an exit for Stones by any means, but the City boss may want to find another elite defender who has a track record of both staying fit and delivering the goods. Of course, there are few