England defender John Stones will leave Manchester City at the end of this season, ending a 10-year spell at the club that spanned the entirety of Josep Guardiola’s trophy-filled reign.
Stones joined City in the summer of 2016 as the second signing of the Guardiola era, and the ball-playing centre-back has proven essential to City’s expansive style of dominating possession under the Spaniard.
Stones, 31, helped City win 19 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League, but his career has been hampered by injury problems in recent seasons and he is no longer first choice.
His contract is due to expire at the end of this season and will not be renewed, with Stones and City confirming his impending departure on Tuesday.
“They say all good things must come to an end,” Stones wrote. Instagram“But this thing we experienced was the best thing and it will always be a part of me.”
Stones played in 293 games, scoring 19 goals and occasionally appearing in matches. Hybrid role There, he moved up from defense and was used as an additional midfield player.
The club described Stones as “the very embodiment of Pep Guardiola’s City”, stating that he “has great technique, a sublime passing range and a keen reading of the game”.
Stones is still in the England squad and, injury permitting, is expected to feature in the next World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
City recently announced their captain Bernardo Silva He also plans to leave at the end of the season after being with the team for nine years.
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