John Stones came under a hailstorm of criticism for his performance against Leicester last Saturday, after Manchester City defended woefully to ship four goals. Stones' terrible backpass allowedJamie Vardy to complete his hat trick and finish the game as a contest.
The defender has a catalogue of costly mistakes to his name for Everton and Manchester City, and many were stunned at the Blues' readiness to deliver on a £47.5m price tag for his services in the summer. Since then, Stones has not done enough to impress in the middle of defence.
Can John Stones become one of Europe's best defenders?
Roberto Martinez thinks so...
Read full interview: https://t.co/YxEtE5oyVf pic.twitter.com/q1T9DQ5fSJ
The 22-year-old worked under Roberto Martinez at Everton, and the Belgium manager has sought to calm his naysayers down.
"You're talking about one of the best footballing centre-halves in European football - but that's potential," Martineztold BBC Radio 5 live.
"We're very, very quick to judge people and not to understand that he's still a very young man, probably ahead of where he should be."
Stones comes under more pressure than a midfielder or striker for misplacing passes, as an error could immediately lead to a shot on Claudio Bravo's goal.
Home form is the key to lifting the @premierleague title says John Stones � #mcfc https://t.co/BN4MbHWluH
"You're the last man and when you make a mistake in those areas you are going to get punished," Martinez explained.
"He's someone who needs to learn many aspects of his play.The value in the market proves to me he's got the potential to be one of the best centre-halves in Europe but he's not ready yet - his decision making, he needs to learn certain aspects to make sure he doesn't make mistakes in areas you don't get away with in football."
From a footballing point of view, Martinez is right - but many are more concerned about Stones' attitude.
The defender was seen throwing his arms around during the defeat at Leicester instead of displaying a fighting spirit, and has a habit of moaning to the press. Once, Stones seemed to blame Everton's poor fortunes solely on the Spaniard's decision to drop him.
At his young age, there is still plentyof learning to do for a talented English centre-back.