Manchester City's John Stones Contemplated Retirement Amid Injury Struggles

Manchester City central defender John Stones has disclosed he contemplated ending his professional career during the previous campaign while grappling with persistent physical setbacks.

Stones spent the majority of last season away from competitive action due to ongoing foot and hamstring issues.

The 31-year-old managed only 24 combined appearances for Manchester City and the England national team before his campaign concluded earlier than planned in February.

Now fully recovered, he may feature under England manager Thomas Tuchel in the upcoming friendly against Wales on Thursday or the World Cup qualifier in Latvia next week.

That last season presented significant challenges for me to the extent that I contemplated stepping away from football entirely Stones shared with BBC Radio 5 Live.

I had no desire to proceed I was exhausted from maintaining such a high level of professionalism and executing every possible measure within my control only to repeatedly suffer setbacks without clear explanations It was an extremely difficult mental state.

There comes a moment when you cannot understand the reasons behind these occurrences and it becomes even more challenging when you have invested maximum effort and demonstrated exemplary commitment to remain match fit.

It would be simpler to attribute injuries to specific oversights but when you have done everything correctly it creates profound psychological strain Hopefully I will never revisit that mindset.

Since joining Manchester City from Everton in 2016 Stones has failed to exceed 27 league appearances in any single campaign.

During his tenure at the Etihad Stadium he has secured six Premier League titles two FA Cups two League Cups and a Champions League trophy.

The veteran centre-back who has been part of England's squad for five major international tournaments admitted he swiftly recognised he could not abandon the game entirely.

My emotions were heightened I was not thinking rationally I believe deep down I would never have followed through with that decision he explained.

Years ago when Manchester City proposed I seek a new challenge I declared I would fight That has defined my approach since childhood so why would I abandon it now.

Indeed that fighting spirit and championship mentality remain deeply ingrained within me.

England manager Thomas Tuchel included Stones as a non-playing squad member for the final matches against Andorra and Senegal last season as a mark of trust.

Stones expressed deep appreciation for this show of confidence.

I hold England in the highest regard and cherish representing my country Many of my career highlights have occurred during international tournaments he stated.

When Tuchel invited me to join the squad for training sessions it was an immediate decision A truly meaningful experience.