John Stones has moved to shut down speculation about his future by insisting he wants to remain at Manchester City, despite enduring another injury-plagued season. The 31-year-old defender managed only 1,134 minutes in all competitions and six Premier League starts in 2024-25, leading to what he described as 'dark days' that made him consider whether to continue playing.
Stones, who joined City in 2016, has never made more than 23 league starts in a single campaign for the club. With his contract expiring next summer and manager Pep Guardiola indicating he wants to reduce the squad size, rumours have circulated that Stones could be sold. However, the England international said: 'I'm here, I want to stay here, I love it. I'm here to help the team, and I don't know if what's been said or speculated, but I hope that kind of shuts it down.'
Stones admitted that his repeated injuries have taken a mental toll. 'There's been points where you think, you've been giving all this effort... and [there] are the dark days,' he said. 'You wish it would have gone a different path... I was a fighter from a young age, in difficult moments, you have to look at the bigger picture and realise what are your morals, what you believe in, and fight to make it worthwhile.'
The defender is not yet match-fit for City's Club World Cup match against Al Ain on Sunday. 'I feel great and I'm excited to get going,' he said. 'It's difficult when you're injured, you almost work longer and more... Now I've put that behind me and will use this as a mini-introduction back before the new season.'
Stones is unsure why he has suffered so many physical setbacks. 'I don't know what the reason is, and we've sat with the medical staff, sports science, to try and figure out why,' he said. 'Some things can't be explained. Which is even more testing mentally when there's not really an answer. I've been unlucky with some of the injuries that I've had, they were very rare last season, after speaking to specialists.'
