"If Stones is going to have a successful second half of the season, he might end up looking back at this routine fourth-round fixture as the beginning. His path to the FIFA World Cup, and possibly a new City contract, starts with Salford. It was Stones' first start for nearly three months after recovering from a thigh injury. He will have far tougher tests than the one offered by Ryan Graydon,"
""He's back," said the City boss. "He still needs time. He's not the John Stones that we knew, but that's normal after more than two months [out]. His body language was really good. "It's normal that he had the tempo to fight the duels, it happened after more than two months injured but it's important that he played 60 minutes. That's good.""
Manchester City beat Salford City 2-0 in an FA Cup fourth-round tie that produced only six shots on target and lacked excitement. Two fans ran around the pitch in household costumes at halftime. Pep Guardiola described the match as 'boring' and judged the team's display 'no good' until a late second goal. John Stones made his first start in nearly three months after recovering from a thigh injury and played 60 minutes. The appearance strengthens Stones' prospects for England's World Cup squad and could influence his future contract and selection by national coaches.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]