Everton defender John Stones has stated his intention to develop a "bigger presence" on the pitch in the coming season.
Stones signed a new five-year contract with the Blues on Thursday afternoon, and said that he is looking to become more vocal when playing alongside his teammates.
He told reporters: "I need to be more vocal and a bigger presence. There's a lot of things in training I learn from Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin about how to make it easier to play in the Premier League.
"I need to keep learning from them day in day out and hopefully learn to express myself in the Premier League.
"It's about organising and helping the players in front of me. It's a big part of any defenders game being vocal and I need to bring it more into mine. It will help me and my team-mates around me when I can do that."
Stones made 26 appearances for the Toffees last term as they finished fifth in the Premier League.
Paul Gorst
