PEP GUARDIOLA is reportedly willing to show John Stones he is still integral to his Manchester City plans, with the offer of a new contract.
Stones put pen to paper on a six-season deal only three years ago when signing from Everton, but that could be extended to show his spell on the bench is temporary.
In recent weeks, Guardiola has favoured pairing Nicolas Otamendi or Vincent Kompany with Aymeric Laporte, the Frenchman widely considered City's standout defender.
It means Stones has played the full 90 minutes of just two matches since mid-February.
Nevertheless, Daily Mirror report that City want to reward his patience with an extension to his £120,000-per-week deal.
The new contract would add an extra year to Stones' current commitment, taking him to the summer of 2023.
PLAYING TIME
The England centre-back picked up a muscle injury in the win over Bournemouth at the start of March and his teammates more than picked up the slack.
Otamendi was a solid performer in the FA Cup semi-final beating of Brighton while Kompany captained the team to victory over Watford and Crystal Palace.
With the title run-in reaching fever pitch, City have won their least ten league games.
That followed a dodgy spell in which Leicester, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Chelsea all beat the Citizens – Stones featuring in three of the four defeats.
However he was back in the team that beat Tottenham on Saturday.
And City's exit from the Champions League may see manager Guardiola stick with the same team, now an eased-up fixture list should demand less rotations.
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