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Manchester City defender John Stones has spoken of the comfort and pride he gets from playing for England
After months of injury misery that left him contemplating whether he still wanted to continue his career, it was no surprise that John Stones found some happiness in an England camp. He wasn't fit to feature in their end-of-season games but Thomas Tuchel called him up to the squad anyway to help him on the road to recovery.
"My love for England, it's difficult to put into words," he said this week. "I love England so much, I love playing for England. I’ve had some of the best moments in my career playing for England [and at] tournaments.
“When he [Thomas Tuchel] said, 'will I come out and be with the guys, continue training', no-brainer. I wanted to be there, be around the guys.
"He saw it from so many points of view. I hadn't been around the team, he knew I was lonely training by myself, in a difficult spot."
Stones in an England shirt often puts Manchester City and their supporters in a difficult spot. Everybody wants players to represent their countries, although in the last two years there has been an enormous gulf between how often Stones has been able to play for England and how often he has for City.
Last year it took him until February to reach the same number of City starts he had managed in just a few weeks at Euro 2024, and his injury woe with the Blues put a question mark over his future at the club.
Even before then, Pep Guardiola said he had "never been so angry or disappointed" as in 2024 when City were going for a fourth consecutive league title and a second straight Champions League when Stones was injured in an England friendly ahead of club games with Arsenal and Real Madrid.
Stones had a healthier start to this season and heads off to England having only missed two of City's 10 games this season, but the nerves will still be jangling at the Etihad. The 31-year-old will want to further his case to play at the World Cup over the next week, but Blues will just be relieved if he avoids another injury issue.
England faces Wales in a friendly on Thursday before taking on Latvia in a World Cup qualifier next week. James Trafford and Nico O'Reilly are also in Tuchel's squad.
City then return with a home game against Everton followed by trips to Villarreal and Aston Villa before a league cup game at Swansea rounds off their October.
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English (US) ·