John Stones has offered an honest account of his first campaign as a Manchester City player, admitting that he "should have done better" upon joining from Everton.
The England international set the Citizens back £47.5m last summer, joining as a player with plenty of potential to thrive under the management of boss Pep Guardiola.
Stones failed to truly impress in the heart of City's defence, however, starting 34 times in a campaign that would end trophyless for the big-spending club.
However, the 23-year-old believes that there are positives to take away from 2016-17, having been given a chance to improve his all-round game under the tutelage of former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola.
Asked to sum up his thoughts for the season just gone, Stones is quoted by The Guardian as saying: "Very disappointed. Purely because we had such a great team and we set the bar high. Disappointed on a personal note too as we all believe we can do better and in games I should have done better, which is what I want to improve on for the future.
"On another personal note it was unbelievable for me. My journey from the start of the season to the end, I've just changed completely as a player and grown off the pitch as well, which is what I went there to do. Pep's message is to improve every day. That's why I went to City and why I wanted to work with Pep – he's got the best out of the players he's worked with and won a lot of trophies.
"Ultimately, that is my goal – to become as good as I can be and win as many things as I can. As a kid I played in tournaments and my team won trophies but in my professional career I've not won anything yet. I'm hungry to get a medal around my neck."
Stones became the second-most expensive English transfer last summer, behind only teammate Raheem Sterling who joined from Liverpool for £49m.
Daniel Lewis
