A MAJOR trophy with England remains the only box yet to tick in John Stones’ glittering career but he has been backed to still do so by one of his former Barnsley coaches.
The 30-year-old from Thurlstone played the full game as the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Spain in Berlin on Sunday in the European Championships final.
Mark Burton, the former Reds player and coach, was running the academy along with Ronnie Branson when defender Stones was coming through.
Burton, who is from Barnsley, is now a coach with ZED FC in Egypt, who are based in Giza and run by Aston Villa.
He said: “When I watch John play now, he looks just like when me and Ronnie had him in the under 18s. He still has that swagger and air of confidence and authority.
“He’s a lad from Barnsley and the best to come out of the academy by a mile. Nobody can argue with that. We’re proud to be part of his journey.
“I was so hoping he would top it off with a trophy at international level. But they lost and you have to move on.
“I think he had a really good tournament. He got better as it went on, after not playing that much at the end of the season for Man City.
“He was good in the final, even though England didn’t deserve to win the game overall.
“He only stepped into midfield once. I would like him to do it more, but it’s up to the manager.”
Stones was given his England debut in 2014 by Roy Hodgson, playing ten times under him, then once for Sam Allardyce but the majority of his 79 caps have been under Gareth Southgate who resigned on Monday following almost eight years in the job.
If he plays three more games, Stones will be the most capped centre-back since World Cup winner Bobby Moore – overtaking Rio Ferdinand.
He has won multiple Premier League titles, FA Cups and EFL Cups with Manchester City as well as the Champions League and Club World Cup, but has been beaten with England in two Euros final as well as a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final.
The next World Cup is in 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico then the 2028 Euros are in the UK and Ireland.
Burton said: “He’s won everything at club level but nothing for England and unfortunately that’s the case for a lot of top players over the years.
“Club and international football is so different. You work in a short space of time in camps with England.
“But he’s got to two finals, and three semi-finals. That’s a lot of experience.
“I think he can hang about for the next couple of tournaments. Defenders last longer than attackers usually. Pepe played in this Euros at 41.
“There’s a good exciting group of players with England now and I think John will want to be part of that. There will be a new manager now as well.
“There’s no reason they can’t win a trophy in the next few years.”
Sunday’s game was a third successive Euros final, either men’s or women’s, which involved England and a player from Barnsley on the teamsheets as Bethany England, from Kingstone – who was born in the same week as Stones in the town in 1994 – was an unused substitute for the Lionesses as they won the title in 2022.
