Dubai: Former Manchester City defender Colin Hendry has urged Pep Guardiola to find a centre-back in the mould of Tony Adams or John Terry to get the very best out of 47.5 million pounds signing John Stones.
Hendry, a vital member of the 1994-95 Blackburn Rovers Premier League title-winning team and the Scotland 1998 World Cup captain, admits he has sympathy for ball-playing Stones, who has been subjected to severe criticism for some of his uncertain displays in Manchester City’s shaky defence this season.
“He’s still a young lad and he obviously has the ability to play the position,” Hendry, part of the annual Scotland Legends versus England Legends match at Jebel Ali Golf Resort in Dubai at 3pm on Friday, said of the 22-year-old purchase from Everton.
“The price tag has probably not helped him, it’s a lot,” added Braveheart defender Hendry, who was at City from 1989-1991.
“The outstanding centre backs that have dominated the Premier League in the 20 odd years that we’ve had it are Tony Adams and John Terry.
“If he was to play alongside a Tony Adams or John Terry that’s where it would help him.
“He’s playing alongside (Nicolas) Otamendi, who, at this minute in time, is not my cup of tea.”
And Hendry believes manager Guardiola is to blame for City’s lack of defensive cohesion this season.
“I know Pep’s got his philosophy and plays straight from the back but I think he should have had more of a think about coming to the Premier League, weighing up close at hand how it is, and sometimes don’t start at the back.
“Go a wee bit direct. It helps the back four get themselves out of the troubled areas, because a lot of times the back four ends up being counter-attacked and they’re in a very deep position to start with because they play out from the back.
“They still have a lot of work to get themselves out. They don’t defend well as a team because of Pep’s philosophy.”
While City have been linked with a big money buy for Southampton’s Virgil Van Dijk, Hendry says it is imperative the main man alongside Stones can keep the England defender in check and form a rock-solid partnership.
“He’s not had a great time John Stones, he’s still learning, but he’s not a Tony Adams and he’s not a John Terry. He’s not in that category. He needs to play alongside somebody of that ilk. (City club captain) Vincent Kompany is the prime example — he can defend and play but everyone knows his injury issues.”
