‘Grasp that emotion’: Stones happy to embrace tournament

The Manchester City defender has had a rollercoaster week but is a picture of calm before England’s opener

For John Stones, it has been one of those weeks, beginning last Friday night when the England centre-half feared he had fractured his foot against Iceland. Was the European Championship over for him? Thankfully not. Then came the stomach bug that gave him a torrid 36 hours from Tuesday evening, his insides churning; the loneliness gripping, too, as he was confined to his room at the team hotel.

Stones has seen his longtime on-pitch partner Harry Maguire ruled out because of injury, leaving him as the only central defender in the squad with previous tournament experience. The 30-year-old has plenty of that – it will be his fifth major finals here in Germany – and with that comes responsibility, pressure.