Three years ago, John Stones watched glumly from the bench as Manchester City were dumped out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Lyon.
Despite City playing with three centre-backs, Stones was not among them, Pep Guardiola picking Aymeric Laporte, Eric Garcia and midfielder Fernandinho in what amounted to a humiliating snub.
Against that backdrop, Stones was facing an uncertain future, persistent injuries and high-profile errors building a perception of the defender as a player who simply could not be relied upon.
