Tuchel warns Stones must prove fitness for World Cup place

Thomas Tuchel has said John Stones must prove his fitness if he is to travel to the World Cup with England .

Stones has withdrawn from England duty ahead of tomorrow’s friendly fixture with Japan at Wembley. The defender’s issue is the latest in an injury-impacted campaign for Stones, who has struggled for fitness and favour at Manchester City .

Stones has started just four Premier League games and was left on the bench for this month’s Carabao Cup final, despite the absence of Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi.

Tuchel has admitted the 87-cap defender has ‘a lot of credit in the bank’ with England but warned that he must prove his fitness and form to feature this summer.

“It’s not ideal for John and for us. John was gutted he had this minor incident, not a big injury,” Tuchel told the media on Monday.

“Given the history we had to be careful, it made no sense to push him through and try stuff that could make it worse.

“He has a lot of credit with me in the bank, he is a key player for us as a starter or a substitute. His quality, his mentality and the personality, how he is, he is a big part of my plans still. Like everyone he has to be fit, there is no big exception for that. Let’s wait how it plays out.”

Read – Tuchel says England need ‘top performance’ to beat Japan

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