World Cup 2018: 6 England Players Whose Stock Rose (And 3 Whose Dropped)
5. Up - John Stones
John Stones is a very good centre back. If we wasn't he would not have made it into the England squad and Manchester City would not have spent £47 million on him back in 2016.
He does have his share of critics - including manager Pep Guardiola, who benched the defender for much of the last season. The former Barnsley man's insistence of playing out from the back no matter the circumstances or the pressure he is under has gotten him into trouble on many occasions.
In Russia, though still reluctant to put the ball into row Z, he didn't need to. Stones was a calm, collected defender and if he made any mistakes they were few and far between. Not only did he act as a rock next to the uncertain Walker at the back, he added an aerial threat, contributing two goals to England's impressive haul over the course of the tournament.