Exclusive – Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand tells John Stones what he must do to fulfil potential at Manchester City

Rio Ferdinand was a special guest on talkSPORT on Wednesday and offered some words of advice to John Stones.

The 22-year-old’s cultured, ball-playing style has seen him hailed as a future England legend and prompted Manchester City to splash out £47.5million to take the centre-back from Everton last summer.

But Stones has endured an inconsistent debut season at City and has often been accused of over-playing.

And, according to Ferdinand, he needs to focus on the defensive basics to fulfil his huge potential.

In an exclusive interview on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, the ex-England and Manchester United captain said: “My first thought was about defending - how do I defend, who am I playing against, what I do need to do today?  

“My footballing stuff was so natural that I didn’t think about that, it just happened naturally on the pitch. So going out there and putting a defensive head on is the best advice you can give someone who plays the style of football that John does play because there is no doubting his ability on the ball.

“At the top level it is decision-making. Whether you are attacking or defending, if you make the right decisions at the right time, consistently, then you are an elite player.”