England captaincy ´a dream´ for Stones

Manchester City defender John Stones admits that it would be a dream come true to be made captain of England.

The 22-year-old, signed from Everton in August for a fee that could reportedly rise to £50million, has enjoyed a strong start to his career at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola.

Stones, who has 11 senior caps for England, is expected to start the World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia over the next week as he aims to cement his place as a first-choice centre-back before the finals in 2018.

While the former Barnsley youngster is keen not to get carried away with his development, he says the chance to succeed skipper Wayne Rooney would be a true honour.

“I don’t really think about it – I’m just enjoying playing for my club and winning caps for my country but if it did happen, it would be fantastic,” he said.

“It’s every kid’s dream to captain their country and have that status and I’m no different, so if it does happen in the future, I’d be over the moon, but as I say, it’s not something I’m thinking about too much just now.

“Being called up for England is the biggest honour you can get as a player so I’m just happy with the way things are going with City and my country.

“I felt I was improving at Everton and I’m working hard to continue that with my new club. I’m just enjoying the way things are going and trying to play my best and express myself as much as possible during games.

“I try and set high standards for myself. I try to maintain those each time I play and I want to keep progressing as a player and a person both on and off the pitch.”