As weeks go, it has not been the ideal build-up to a big game.
John Stones admitted he feared he had broken his foot in England’s final warm-up game last Friday and then spent 36 hours in bed with a sickness bug. Manchester City defender Stones had a nervous wait on an X-ray after injuring himself in a collision against Iceland at Wembley - and then missed training this week through illness.
But nothing was going to stop him playing for England at the Euros this summer because his determination and hunger to win has pushed him through.
Stones said: “I was worried at first, just the mechanism of how it happened, how I landed on my foot. I knew it wasn’t my knee or my ankle, because of the mechanism in how I landed, it was almost like my big toe in the line straight down my foot and you think ‘I have fractured it.’
“I thought if I have fractured it, get the docs, tablets, injections, whatever it is, I don’t want to miss out. With my history of injuries and knowing how to deal with them, mentally it is really beneficial. If it was bad, I was ready to go and gladly it wasn’t.
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“You think the worst at the start and we got some scans back and it was really minor stuff and I came through it, which is great. Then I haven’t been that ill in… I couldn’t tell you how long. I am not getting into detail. It was a real rough 36 hours.
“I ended up ringing the doc in early hours of the morning after being up for a few hours and couldn’t take it any more. It could have been a lot worse than what it was and I was glad to get through training on Thursday. Now I feel great. Really good. I feel great physically. I am looking forward to it now.”
Stones spoke with so much belief and passion about playing for England from the moment he walked into his room at their luxury training resort - only to find a presentation box which was laid on for every player.
John Stones is confident heading into Euro 2024 (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)There were pictures, handwritten notes and keepsakes to make them feel at home and Stones revealed his partner put one in of him with his dad while at Barnsley as a kid. That brought it all home to him about how far he has come, his career and also just remembering himself as that wide-eyed kid.
"That kind of goes back to making it all relatable and what you love,” said Stones. “What you play football for and what you have always done.
“People will feel pressure in different ways and deal with it in different ways. A strength of mine is not thinking too much about what is going on and what is expected.”
Stones has enjoyed being the older head this week and, with Marc Guehi expected to start alongside him, he is happy to be a leader. There is no Harry Maguire this time but a new partner.
“I’m a big fan of Marc’s. Just how he goes about his work. I mean this in really nice way - even me still - he’s like a big sponge to learn and I think that’s how you progress and improve as a player,” said Stones. “He is taking everything in. His quality, for his size, how strong he is, how he dominates. He has been an incredible player at Palace and had a big injury this season as well.”
Stones has also taken a mature outlook himself. He did not start a game for City from April 6 until the end of the campaign. He does not quite know why but also knows better than to start a fuss.
He added: “If you start thinking and throwing your toys out of the pram and saying I should be playing – of course, I believe I should be playing but that’s out of my control who picks the team and I think that really does have a negative effect on everything else.
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“When called upon you won’t be ready to play, you might make mistakes. From experience, that’s happened. I control the controllables, it is what it is. I’m here to help.”
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