Guardiola Reflects on Stones’ Departure: “I Always Asked for His Shirt”
Manchester City defender Joško Gvardiol has described John Stones’ departure as a significant loss for the team. The Croatian defender himself renewed his contract with Manchester City amid some hesitation, expressing concerns that the squad had weakened:
“When I was younger, I wouldn’t say John Stones was exactly my idol, since I was already a defender, but he was definitely one of the best. It’s a secret, but every season I asked him to sign a shirt for me.
Also, Bernardo Silva – both are wonderful people and personalities. How much have we lost? We’ll find out and make up for the early-season setbacks, but I think we’ll definitely miss both of them. They were both operating at the highest level…
I believe Inter is the perfect club for John. He’ll enjoy being in Italy, and Bernardo will return to where he belongs. He’s been talking about Spain for a long time, and that’s where he’s from…”