'Harry Maguire is an example' - Legendary defender Leonardo Bonucci waxes lyrical about Man Utd star and England international centre-back partner John Stones

Bonucci certainly knows a thing or two about defending having won countless Serie A and Coppa Italia titles with Juventus as well as the European Championship with Italy. The 36-year-old has now taken time out to reveal his admiration for England stars Maguire and Stones. Bonucci came out on top when Italy beat England in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley but believes the two defenders are among the best around.

Bonucci told The Sun: "For me, Harry is an example. After all the stick and attacks he’s received, he still plays at Manchester United and is a regular for England. That’s indicative of his mental strength. Maguire is a rocky and tough defender.

"His problem is that he was paid an infinite amount of money when he joined Man United. But just because of that, can’t he occasionally drop a clanger? He has shown that he’s mentally tough, has leadership skills, personality and intelligence out of the norm. Just like all of us, he may have some limits but he’ll be aware of them and iron them out to improve."

The veteran then went on to share his opinion on Stones: "There are moments during the game when you have to go to war and be ready to battle in the box as if a burglar was stealing in your house. But I struggle to find a deficiency in players like Stones, who have won what he did.

"He’s a leader, reads the game well, has rhythms and is intelligent.He’s a technical player and a nasty defender. At City, Guardiola saw a perfect role for him, to be more of a ball-playing defender. He makes mistakes but who doesn’t? He’s still young and has a lot of time to improve and keep winning. Stones has done great things and I like him a lot. He’s one of the best in the world.”

Maguire has endured a difficult campaign at Manchester United but has managed to force his way back into Erik ten Hag's starting XI. The defender was stripped of the captaincy at Old Trafford in the summer and came close to a move to West Ham but managed to fight his way back into the team and scooped the Premier League's Player of the Month award for November.

Stones and Maguire are both currently sidelined through injury but will be hoping to return to action soon. Maguire has been forced onto the sidelines with a groin problem but could be available for Manchester United's FA Cup third round clash against Wigan on January 8. Meanwhile, Stones was forced off in City's win over Everton on December 27, with manager Pep Guardiola conceding "it doesn't look good" for the defender.