Stones Feeling 'great' After Overcoming 'dark Days'

Manchester City defender John Stones says he "feels great" aft overcoming "dark days" during an injury-hit 2 years.

Centre-back Stones past featured for City successful February, playing only 8 minutes successful nan Champions League play-off conclusion by Real Madrid earlier he was forced disconnected pinch a thigh injury.

The 31-year-old says he is "back fit" aft being included successful City's 27-man squad for nan Club World Cup successful nan United States.

Stones said: "It's difficult erstwhile you're injured, you almost activity longer and more, truthful from that facet I cognize nan guys mentally and physically person had specified a agelong season. I suppose mentally for maine it's been difficult dealing pinch nan injuries and nan process.

"But now I've put that down maine and utilized this arsenic a mini preamble backmost earlier nan caller play and different trophy for america to hopefully triumph and get immoderate crippled time.

"I've been backmost successful training a fewer weeks now and that's been going great, trying to do other moving if I request to, if I request to effort and get those levels up. Just those little, really mini specifications person made specified a large difference.

"I'm ace excited and hopefully tin instrumentality these small things that we've made and tweaked, which are going to amended maine for nan future."

Stones has been pinch City for 9 seasons aft joining from Everton for £47.5m.

He has enjoyed a trophy-filled spell astatine nan club, winning six Premier League titles, nan Champions League, 2 FA Cup and 4 League Cups, while besides being capped 83 times for England.

Though he has played 277 games for his club, he only managed 13 starts past term, including six successful nan Premier League.

"I deliberation we each self-doubt arsenic players and consciousness things, and we want to get backmost arsenic speedy arsenic possible. Maybe that's a downfall sometimes that you effort and push excessively soon," he said.

"Definitely family [help], I deliberation that's my biggest thing, being astir them and having their support.

"You tin consciousness very lonely astatine times erstwhile you're training by yourself and that's nan difficult portion of it, being successful a squad sport, not training pinch nan squad erstwhile you tally retired connected nan transportation successful your rehab."

Stones has suffered a succession of foot, hamstring and thigh injuries complete nan past 2 campaigns, missing a full of 164 days and 33 games, according to Transfermarkt., external

Stones said: "There's been points wherever you deliberation you've been giving each this effort, you dedicate each your life - particularly really I attack aliases spell astir my life and football, I springiness everything - connected and disconnected nan transportation to beryllium present aliases beryllium fresh to play games, and those are nan acheronian days.

"I deliberation everyone's been done them and think, 'why is this happening?'. You wish it would person gone a different path, but for illustration I said, it's self-doubt, there's a batch of things.

"All of america person been done different upbringings and challenges done life and what did we do wrong those situations, was it conflict aliases was it springiness up?

"I was a combatant from a young age, successful difficult moments, you person to look astatine nan bigger image and realise what are your morals, what you judge in, and conflict to make it worthwhile."