John Stones interview: Man City star reveals how he rebuilt his career after 'hardest time' and why he's loving his new midfield role ahead of the Champions League final

In the 2019/20 season he was essentially a fringe player, even after Vincent Kompany had left the club. He started only 12 league games, barely featured in the domestic cups and made just a solitary appearance, as a substitute, in the Champions League.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Champions League final, Stones is asked to go back to that dark era. It might be an uncomfortable question to kick off a discussion, but he is happy to talk about it.

"It was probably one of the hardest times in my career," he begins. "I literally went back to firstly looking at myself, being super critical of myself and what I could do better on the football pitch, and then looking into every fine detail, down to food, what food, training, what training, what extras."

He would stay at City's training ground long after training had finished and then continue to focus on specific aspects of his game at home before going to bed.

It was about "finding these small margins, put them all together to kind of break where I was at after coming back to playing" he adds. "Big learning curve for me and maybe who I am today."

Stones played no part in the last-16 tie against Real Madrid and was an unused substitute in the quarter-final defeat to Lyon in Lisbon, losing his place to the teenage Eric Garcia.

That might have seemed like the nadir but he says being left out for any game hurt. The longer you spend out of a team, the harder it feels to fight your way back in, especially in a squad as competitive as City's.

"I think it’s not just that game. I think any game that you don't play, or feel maybe that you should be playing, every player feels like that when they don't play, especially here because we've got an incredible team, it's always difficult," Stones says.

"I really do try and put a positive spin on that and use that to motivate me and make sure that I give the manager a headache to make his team selection."

Not for the first time, Stones was linked with a move away from City, his career under Guardiola written off. Speculation grew about a return to Everton.

But according to Stones, he never seriously considered leaving. He truly believed City was his level, and it was just about returning to the best version of himself.

"No, I never thought about that. I think as soon as you accept that or have that mindset then you have killed yourself," he says. "So no, I always wanted to stay, I have stayed and I absolutely love it.

"I wanted to prove to myself, I didn’t say to anyone ‘It was because I want to prove to you’. I think, in anything, you have to prove to yourself first and foremost that you deserve to be here, you are good enough to be here, and what you bring to the team.

"Everyone's so unique here and I feel that's why we've been so successful."

Unique is an apt word to describe Stones. Few English players have shown the ability and confidence he has on the ball, and fewer still would continue to keep playing out from the back despite the many mistakes he made in his early days with City, when they ended their first season under Guardiola without a trophy.

The coach made an impassioned defence of Stones in an unforgettable press conference in 2017, when he told a press conference: "John Stones has more personality than all of us together in this room. More balls than anyone here, guys! I like that kind of player, I love him."

Guardiola made Stones his new project this season, first playing him as an inside right-back, dropping Kyle Walker in the process, and then giving him licence to roam into midfield, giving extra support to Rodri and also playing a big role in City's attacking play.

Stones relishes his new role and says Guardiola was not the first person to believe he had the makings of a midfielder, even if the Catalan was the first person to back up their words with actions.

"People have always said, to be fair, from a young age that they can see me playing in there," he says.

"I think I did and still do love playing as a centre-half and I've absolutely loved this role as well. I think I have showed myself that I'm able to do it.

"Maybe showing some attributes that I didn't know that I had, but the manager has seen [something] in me and yeah ultimately I think I'm just trying to show what I can do in there, and show what the manager sees in me and be able to help the team ultimately win with my attributes."

Stones has understood Guardiola's style of play better than most but he also chimes with the coach's relentless attitude, the feeling that City must treat ever match as a must-win game, never allowing themselves to take opponents for granted.

As Rodri described it last month, to act as if they were a small team. That is why he said City had to beware of falling into the trap of thinking Inter will be there for the taking in the final.

"I know what we’ve done over the last seven years that I've been here. I think it's been a great way to approach a game and be able to offer humility towards who we are playing against," he says.

"They’ve got incredible players, we can all see that. How they played in a big occasion, in a derby game in the Champions League semi final is, is never easy. We know what we're up against, they are an incredible team, but we have to be ourselves and focus on us as well."

Focusing on yourself is always a good mantra. After all, it helped bring Stones back from being a fringe player who was written off and helped him transform into a major player in City's quest for the treble. He is asked whether the fact he has pulled himself up from the bottom would make lifting the Champions League trophy all the sweeter. He pauses for a moment.

"I don't really think about it. Probably yeah. For me personally, if I hopefully look back after Saturday, with a winner's medal. Yeah, it will be super sweet," he says. But he is careful not to tempt fate and quickly adds: "I suppose. Ask me after that."