After looking inches away from the Manchester City exit door in 2020, John Stones' revival at the Etihad Stadium over the last two years has been nothing short of remarkable.
Forming a formidable partnership with Ruben Dias, the so-called 'Barnsley Beckenbauer' has picked up back-to-back Premier League titles and won a few individual accolades along the way.
Despite an injury riddled campaign this season, Stones was still exemplary when called upon, and his consistent inclusion in Gareth Southgate's strongest England starting XI is due reward for his excellent performances.
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He is likely to line-up - yet again - when the Three Lions take on Germany in their second UEFA Nations League clash on Tuesday evening.
Ahead of the game, the 28-year-old has been speaking to the press about a multitude of topic, including a comment made by his City teammate, Kevin De Bruyne.
Before embarking on international duty - after securing his UEFA A Coaching License - with Belgium this month, the star midfielder said, “The Nations League is unimportant in my eyes. Just glorified friendlies after a long and tough season. I am not looking forward to it."
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When asked for his opinion on De Bruyne's comments, Stones replied, "I'm not exactly sure what Kev (De Bruyne) has said. I think I can only reiterate what I said before, to play for your nation, to play for your country and to be called up - and I speak on my personal experiences of being out of the team, it hurt."
"When you're here you've got to make the most of it, to play in big games like this you have to cherish the moment and maximise what's in front of you. We can't control our fixtures, who we're playing, when we're playing. We've got to take the positives and see it as a massive learning curve to set us (England) up for the World Cup."
With every country facing the gruelling schedule of four games in 11 days, rotation will be key to avoid injuries and maintain fitness. However, as Kevin De Bruyne mentions, player welfare has been put at a serious risk at the end of a long season.
Topics: Manchester City, John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne, England, UEFA Nations League
Harry Siddall