The experienced England international was our captain in the 3-1 FA Cup fifth round win at Newcastle United on Saturday night in just his second start of 2026.
After a positive start to the campaign, he suffered a thigh issue that ruled him out for a large chunk of the winter.
Newcastle 1-3 City | Match report
He now appears to have shaken that off, turning in an exemplary performance at St James’ Park to lead City through a difficult tie.
Now, the 31-year-old says he’s feeling confident about helping City challenge on four fronts over the next few months.
“It was just nice to be out there and contributing,” he began.
“Getting your rhythm back is massive, here in the first 20 minutes is always difficult with their pace and power. Having that positivity to be ready when called upon and I think we did that tonight.
Now in his tenth season at the Etihad Stadium, Stones has been a central part of Pep Guardiola’s glittering success.
Having had all of that experience, the centre-back has been patient with his return to the pitch and is now keen to ensure standards don’t slip as we chase Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and Carabao Cup success.
“The team’s been playing great with clean sheets and on a winning run and it’s a case where you have to wait for your chance,” he said.
“There’s so many big games coming up that we know that everyone is going to play and pull their weight and we’ve done that so well over the years in high pressure moments.
“That’s why we’ve been successful, this is another chance to do that and set the standards for ourselves. We have to keep the standards and look at one game at a time.”
Savinho was named Man of the Match at Newcastle after an impressive performance, scoring our equaliser before playing a key role in dragging us to victory.
Stones was complimentary when asked about the Brazilian’s showing, saying: “How direct he was, his pace to touch it past you and get up to full speed is incredible.
“He kept going with lots of crosses and chances. I’m so pleased for him, it’s difficult coming back from injury. He came on last game and made an impact and same again today.”
