Bari defender Žan Žužek has hailed Manchester City’s John Stones for his performances this season, claiming the centre-back is the best defender in the world at this moment in time.
The Slovenian defender has been speaking at a press conference about his time with the Italian side so far, relayed by Bari Today.
That meant the subject of the 26-year-old’s development was brought up and who he models his current game on from defenders old and new, at which point he cited Manchester City’s John Stones as the surprise name.
“Defending in Italy is difficult, captain Valerio Di Cesare helps me a lot,” he said.
“He speaks good English and has a lot of experience. I’m happy to be able to learn from him, but Vicari is also a very strong defender, and he helps me a lot.
“I really like Manchester City, I look to John Stones as a role model, for me he is the best in the world at the moment.”
That’s certainly a bold claim from Žužek, although one hard to argue with given how Stones has been playing for Manchester City this season.
He’s been flourishing in a new defensive midfield role that has seen playing alongside Rodri but also dropping into defence to make up a back four when required as part of a new look system devised by Pep Guardiola.
It’s something that’s brought the best out of him, with fans and pundits alike having pointed him out as a star performer this season.
It seems that is also the case in Europe, where Žužek has also picked up on his performances and believes they deserve more recognition.
