John Stones has revealed how he is learning from two of Everton’s Premier League heroes.
The Blues defender is part of the England Under-21 squad who will warm up for this summer’s European Championship Finals by facing Belarus in a friendly this evening.
And with the contest taking place at Oakwell, home of Stones’ emergence at Barnsley, the 21-year-old has been speaking to the media.
Among the interviews, Stones revealed how David Unsworth and Duncan Ferguson have been huge influences since he joined Everton in January 2013.
“Unsy sits in the stand and watches every game so when I come in the day after, he has always got a word for me,” said Stones of the Blues’ Under-21s Head Coach.
“It may be something positionally – Unsy spots it if I’m marking the wrong side. It’s great for me tactically. He’ll tell me what I’m doing right, what I’m doing wrong.”
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At the other end of the pitch for the Toffees in the 1995 FA Cup triumph was Ferguson, now a key member of the Club’s first-team coaching staff.
And Stones admits Big Dunc’s words of wisdom in his current role are just as powerful as the strength that intimidated opposing defenders in his playing days.
“Dunc is such a presence,” added Stones, who made his senior England debut in September 2014.
“When he speaks you really listen. He’s got some great words – especially before the game, things to get you in the mood: ‘Know who you are playing for’, the value of the shirt you’re putting on.
“He’s been there and done it. I think he’s missing playing. He sees what we’ve got in that dressing room and he wants us to succeed. He wants us to have pride in that Everton shirt.
“I wouldn’t want to come up against Dunc that’s for sure. He was some player – some brute. I try to stay away from him!”
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Stones: I’m proud to have come this far
Stones picked up Everton’s Young Player of the Season award after impressive form in 2014/15 either side of an ankle injury.
Now looking to take those performances into the Euros in Czech Republic, the centre-back is proud of his journey from the Championship to international football and is clear on the footballing philosophy his development has provided.
He added: “I’m very proud of where I’ve come from and what I’ve done: [from Barnsley], to Everton, to the England squad.
“I was really small as a kid but everyone saw me as a centre-back when I got to 16. Obviously the Championship was a tough league and I couldn’t cope with it physically at centre-back so that’s why I played at right-back then. It really toughened me up. I have good memories of there, it brings me back to my days playing under Keith Hill.”
“I’ve got to get the balance right in my play”
Added Stones: “I’ve always been taught to bring the ball out, play from the back and Roberto Martínez at Everton has taught me to do that. The gaffer here [Gareth Southgate] as well is 100 per cent behind me and how I want to play and bring it out.
“But it has to be a mixture. As a defender you want to keep the ball out of the net first and foremost. If it means doing it ‘ugly’, that’s what it has to take: throwing your body on the line is the biggest part for a defender.
“If you take the ball first and then the man that’s fine. You have to be clever about it but my dad always told me to stay on my feet. There are times when you have to go to ground, but it’s about doing it wisely and cleanly.
“I couldn’t be ‘dirty’ if I tried. It’s not football either; the game should be played to score goals and that’s how you win, not by hurting anyone.
“shirt-pulling and blocking are little things that are used to gain an advantage and I think it should be like that. I don’t want the physical side to go out of the game and sometimes it is hard for the referees.
“I love the physical game as it is.”