England defender John Stones extends contract with Manchester City

LONDON -- England defender John Stones has signed a contract extension until 2026 with Manchester City, the Premier League champions confirmed on Tuesday.

The new contract represents a huge turnaround in fortunes for the 27-year-old, who has won three league titles, two league cups and the FA Cup with the club and started every game for England in this summer's European Championships.

A year ago Stones had struggled for form and fitness and the arrival of Ruben Dias looked as if it was going to see him drop to the subs' bench behind Dias and Aymeric Laporte.

The defender's turnaround in form saw him end the season in the Manchester City starting 11 as they won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final.

"I couldn't be happier; I love being part of this squad. There are so many quality players here and I know we can continue winning trophies, which is my main focus," said the defender who joined the club from Everton five years ago.

Stones had praise for coach Pep Guardiola, saying working with him was "a dream... He has taught me so much about the game and I feel like I learn something new every single day," commented the defender.

"This is the best place for me to play my football and fulfil my ambitions... The success we've had in the last four years has been incredible. To be a part of it has been a dream come true and I just want to continue winning," Stones told the Manchester City website.

"This is great news for our club. John is an exceptional footballer and a fantastic defender, whose attributes are well suited to our style of play. We knew when we signed him that we were getting a talented center-back, but he has really matured in his five years here and, as we saw last season, is at the top of his game right now," commented Manchester City's Director of Football Txiki Begiristain.