John Stones Determined to Fight for Place at Manchester City

John Stones is determined to prove himself at Manchester City and fight for his place in the first team, despite doubts about his future at the club.

The 26-year-old has struggled to keep his place in the first team this season, with only 13 appearances in the Premier League. The former Everton man was instrumental at the back for City during their Centurion season, but his form has been inconsistent over the last two seasons and he looks a shell of the man who Pep Guardiola signed for £47.5m.

Rumours about Stones' future at the club have been circulating in recent weeks, with former club Everton reportedly interested in bringing him back to Goodison Park the Daily Mail report that the centre-back has made it clear he sees his future at the Etihad and is determined to stay at the club and prove he's good enough to be a part of City's plans for the future.

Stones is not considering a move away from the side he's won two Premier League titles with, but will no doubt find first-team chances harder to come by going forward with City looking to recruit a new centre-back before next season and the emergence of Eric Garcia as a first-team player.

It's no secret City are looking to bring in a new centre-back to partner Aymeric Laporte in the upcoming transfer window. The club's defence largely responsible for the team's poor Premier League title defence this season, and with rumours of a potential move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly the talk of the town right now, Stones will face stiff competition for a first-team spot going forward.

Eric Garcia's breakthrough is also sure to cause issues for Stones and the young Spaniard is already a firm favourite of Guardiola – with the City boss even saying: "Eric never, ever makes defensive mistakes. He knows we want him."

In a defence prone to making painful mistakes, a player like Garcia could be pivotal to their future success.