The Everton defender will likely watch on from the bench as the Toffees travel to Old Trafford on Sunday, but a summer move to the Red Devils has potential to aide his development
At Wembley on Tuesday, England supporters were able to see first-hand both the brilliance inJohn Stones’s game and the weaknesses that have frustrated Everton fans this season. Tipped for the very top, at the age of just 21 the defender faces a very early crossroads in his career which has the potential to shape whether he goes onto become one of his country's very best.
His pass to start the move from which Jamie Vardy eventually opened the scoring against Netherlands was further proof that he has the ball-playing capabilities England have been crying out for from their central defenders since Rio Ferdinand’s final appearances for the Three Lions.
But his slip in the build-up to the Vincent Janssen's equaliser suggested that at a young age he still lacks the decision-making capabilities of a player with more experience. Instead of looking for a simple pass or clearance he chose to look to play his way out of trouble. While this confidence in his own ability should not be discouraged, it only furthers suggestions he is not ready to be the international regular many have tipped him to become.
Labelled a future captain of his country, it was expected in the autumn that Stones would have established himself in the national team ahead of Euro 2016 while continuing his development at Everton. Instead, he remains on the fringes of Roy Hodgson’s first XI and is not even a guaranteed starter at Goodison Park. Clearly, something has gone wrong for the Barnsley academy graduate.
When Stones saw his transfer request rejected by the Toffees in August as Chelsea made three bids for the youngster, he was hailed for the professionalism he continued to show while seeing his name in headlines for the first time in his career. Ironically, his performance against Chelsea was singled out as one of the finest by an English defender in recent memory and it seemed inevitable that similar displays would have Europe’s biggest sides fawning over him come the summer of 2016.
But just over six months on there are suddenly question marks over whether Stones has the required attributes to take the next step. Roberto Martinez has seen fit to hand him just one start in Everton’s last six league matches and he was replaced at half-time during that clash with West Ham. In all competitions, he has only earned a start twice in ten matches and is at real risk of heading into the Euros severely short of match practice.
Those selection decisions came off the back of two errors that allowed Swansea City to leave Merseyside with three points, while a reckless challenge on Raheem Sterling in the last minute of a visit to the Etihad Stadium 11 days prior should have given Manchester City the opportunity to win the game from the penalty spot.
In between those games was a 3-3 draw against Chelsea, with Stones forming part of the defence that twice surrendered leads to the champions at Stamford Bridge. While Martinez has taken plenty of heat from supporters and pundits alike, Stones has quickly become the Spaniard’s fall guy for their disappointing Premier League results. Where once Cruyff-turns inside his own six-yard box were lauded by the Gwladys Street faithful, they are now greeted by groans of trepidation. His displays have become so error-strewn there is even a suggestion among Everton fans he should be moved forward into midfield.
Looking purely at statistics, it is not difficult to see why Stones was taken out of the firing line. His passing accuracy, dribble success rate, duel success rate and foul rate have all taken a turn for the worse this season. He has also been directly at fault for two goals – double the amount he was responsible for in 2014-15. Stones is clearly a player short of confidence and it is highly likely all the transfer speculation surrounding him is beginning to cloud his mind.
His pass to start the move from which Jamie Vardy eventually opened the scoring against Netherlands was further proof that he has the ball-playing capabilities England have been crying out for from their central defenders since Rio Ferdinand’s final appearances for the Three Lions.
But his slip in the build-up to the Vincent Janssen's equaliser suggested that at a young age he still lacks the decision-making capabilities of a player with more experience. Instead of looking for a simple pass or clearance he chose to look to play his way out of trouble. While this confidence in his own ability should not be discouraged, it only furthers suggestions he is not ready to be the international regular many have tipped him to become.
Labelled a future captain of his country, it was expected in the autumn that Stones would have established himself in the national team ahead of Euro 2016 while continuing his development at Everton. Instead, he remains on the fringes of Roy Hodgson’s first XI and is not even a guaranteed starter at Goodison Park. Clearly, something has gone wrong for the Barnsley academy graduate.
When Stones saw his transfer request rejected by the Toffees in August as Chelsea made three bids for the youngster, he was hailed for the professionalism he continued to show while seeing his name in headlines for the first time in his career. Ironically, his performance against Chelsea was singled out as one of the finest by an English defender in recent memory and it seemed inevitable that similar displays would have Europe’s biggest sides fawning over him come the summer of 2016.
But just over six months on there are suddenly question marks over whether Stones has the required attributes to take the next step. Roberto Martinez has seen fit to hand him just one start in Everton’s last six league matches and he was replaced at half-time during that clash with West Ham. In all competitions, he has only earned a start twice in ten matches and is at real risk of heading into the Euros severely short of match practice.
Those selection decisions came off the back of two errors that allowed Swansea City to leave Merseyside with three points, while a reckless challenge on Raheem Sterling in the last minute of a visit to the Etihad Stadium 11 days prior should have given Manchester City the opportunity to win the game from the penalty spot.
In between those games was a 3-3 draw against Chelsea, with Stones forming part of the defence that twice surrendered leads to the champions at Stamford Bridge. While Martinez has taken plenty of heat from supporters and pundits alike, Stones has quickly become the Spaniard’s fall guy for their disappointing Premier League results. Where once Cruyff-turns inside his own six-yard box were lauded by the Gwladys Street faithful, they are now greeted by groans of trepidation. His displays have become so error-strewn there is even a suggestion among Everton fans he should be moved forward into midfield.
Looking purely at statistics, it is not difficult to see why Stones was taken out of the firing line. His passing accuracy, dribble success rate, duel success rate and foul rate have all taken a turn for the worse this season. He has also been directly at fault for two goals – double the amount he was responsible for in 2014-15. Stones is clearly a player short of confidence and it is highly likely all the transfer speculation surrounding him is beginning to cloud his mind.
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