Manchester City new-boy John Stones has revealed that the club's group of England internationals helped convince him to make the move to the Etihad, saying that Joe Hart and Raheem Sterling told him that the club 'need' him.
Stones' move was officially finalised yesterday, the England centre-back signing a six-year deal with the Champions League semi-finalists to complete a move worth £47.5m.
PAINT TROPHY says England teammates pleaded with him to join them at Man City #MCFC #EFC https://t.co/1whiU6a1gY pic.twitter.com/H9WQeyOKJi
After signing, he talked about his England teammates' enthusiasm, saying: "They said, 'We need you. We want you here and with all the boys here, you'll settle in quick'. They didn't try to persuade me too much "? I was kind of sold [on the move] already "? but we get along so well I'm sure when we're in training, it'll feel like home.
"I've spoken to a lot of the boys here, like Joe, and they wanted me to come. I expressed my feelings that I wanted to come and obviously the manager was a big part of that. I want to come and help the team and help win trophies."?
The 22-year-old defender also revealed his excitement ahead of working under new City boss Pep Guardiola, admitting to hopes that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich head coach could take his game to new levels in the coming years.
Welcome home ?
The best pics from John Stones' Etihad Stadium tour.
GALLERY ? https://t.co/kuXSXVELyo #WelcomeJohn pic.twitter.com/AZA7NahAdi
He said: "I hope he can bring out everything in me. I always know that there's a lot of improvement for my game personally. It's 110 per cent the right decision to play under him and I'm so thankful that I'm getting the opportunity to come here and play with the best and improve day in, day out.
"He's a winner and I think that's what's going to rub off on everyone. We need to win games and I'm sure that's what will happen."?
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