Only two players featured in the first and last matches of Gareth Southgate’s 102-game reign as England manager. And, of those, only one featured in the opening two fixtures of Lee Carsley’s promising new era.
No wonder John Stones, even at the age of 30, sees himself as a veteran, sees himself as a guiding light for the sort of young players the interim manager has quickly brought into the England fold. And Stones, who was joined by Kyle Walker in the contests that bookended Southgate’s time, now has his sights set on joining the club that welcomed Harry Kane on Tuesday night.
“(100 caps?) Yeah, 100 percent,” declared Stones. “To see Harry do that, I never thought I would get 50 caps but I hit 75 and now it is 81. I got told I have levelled with Rio (Ferdinand) - that is a massive achievement for me personally and it is a bit strange to say.”
With those 81 caps, Stones has indeed moved on to the same number as Ferdinand - and Jordan Henderson - and is now nine behind Walker, who did not feature in Carsley’s opening squad. And he is relishing the prospect of closing in on the magical three-figure mark under the stewardship of Carsley.
Stones said: “I don’t know what the guys higher up from me or the guys that make those decisions are thinking but it was an absolute pleasure to be around Gareth personally and professionally - how he worked, how he conducted himself, through tough times as well, how he stuck by me. I have got a lot of great experiences and if the FA decide to go with someone homegrown again, I am sure it will be an incredible experience.”
Stones did add the caveat that the squad would get behind whoever was made permanent manager but it is clear the senior players are as enthusiastic as the younger squad members when it comes to Carsley’s approach.
“Everyone has seen a familiar face when we’re at St George’s Park,” said Stones, referring to the former boss of the under-21s. “We’ve always been crossing paths and getting to work with him, for me personally, and the lads feel the same, we’re trying to make the most of it. We’ve got two great results out of it. There are a lot of new and younger players in the squad and that’s good for me - to see that energy and fight. I’ve been in their shoes.”
And it is obvious Carsley’s blooding of new international talents such as Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke - as well as his trust in the likes of Anthony Gordon - has given the established stars the lift they needed after the eventual disappointment of Euro 2024. No-one needed the lift more than Stones, who had been determined to make his fifth tournament with England a winning one.
He said: “This one really, really hurt. To get to another final was incredible and I really believed we could do it. I was upset straight away and then angry. I kind of box it away and try to not think about the pain.”
Instead, Stones is thinking about another crack at a major tournament and joining Kane in that elite group of centurions.
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