Mateo Kovacic has said that after meeting John Stones, he could gauge why he has been at an elite club like Manchester City for a long time.

In the latest episode of the official Manchester City podcast, Kovacic gave an interesting insight into what Stones is like behind-the-scenes.

Mateo Kovacic shares he met John Stones and realised why he has been at Manchester City for so long The PS47.5 million (BBC Sport) man was one of Pep Guardiola's first signings after he was appointed by the Sky Blues in 2016.

Since then, the treble-winner has been a mainstay for Manchester City, playing a vital role in their domination of English football.

Mateo Kovacic has said that he realised why John Stones has been able to stay at a club as massive as City for such a long time by just meeting him.

"You can tell that John is a fantastic guy and that's why he's so long at that club because it's never easy to be at a club long and when you meet them, you can actually feel why that is so because he's humble, works hard and as you [Rob Pollard] said, open-minded", he said on the official Manchester City podcast.

John Stones' resilience has played a major part in his longevity at the Etihad Stadium Mateo Kovacic makes an interesting point by highlighting how impressive it is that players like John Stones have managed to remain at such a top club for so many years.

However, a huge reason behind this in the England international's case is his resilience.

In the build-up to the 2020/2021 season, in which Stones redeemed himself as he went on to have a phenomenal campaign, he was heavily linked with an exit from City.

But the 29-year-old dug in, silenced his critics and ever since, he is yet to look back.

Now, John Stones is up there amongst the very best in the world in his position and that seems to be down to his top mentality.