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Stones has been with City for nine seasons after joining from Everton for £47.5m.

He has enjoyed a trophy-filled spell at the club, winning six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cup and four League Cups, while also being capped 83 times for England.

Though he has played 277 games for his club, he only managed 13 starts last term, including six in the Premier League.

“I think we all self-doubt as players and feel things, and we want to get back as quick as possible. Maybe that’s a downfall sometimes that you try and push too soon,” he said.

“Definitely family [help], I think that’s my biggest thing, being around them and having their support.

“You can feel very lonely at times when you’re training by yourself and that’s the difficult part of it, being in a team sport, not training with the team when you run out on the pitch in your rehab.”

Stones has suffered a succession of foot, hamstring and thigh injuries over the past two campaigns, missing a total of 164 days and 33 games, according to Transfermarkt., external

Stones said: “There’s been points where you think you’ve been giving all this effort, you dedicate all your life – especially how I approach or go about my life and football, I give everything – on and off the pitch to be here or be ready to play games, and those are the dark days.

“I think everyone’s been through them and think, ‘why is this happening?’. You wish it would have gone a different path, but like I said, it’s self-doubt, there’s a lot of things.

“All of us have been through different upbringings and challenges through life and what did we do within those situations, was it fight or was it give up?

“I was a fighter from a young age, in difficult moments, you have to look at the bigger picture and realise what are your morals, what you believe in, and fight to make it worthwhile.”

Gianni Infantino is brushing off early criticisms of the Club World Cup this summer.

The FIFA president, speaking on a small stage at Fanatics Fest in Manhattan this weekend, backed the expanded competition, suggesting any hiccups with the tournament are to be expected because of its novelty.

“So, maybe some criticize it a little bit, but it’s something new. It’s something special,” Infantino said. “It’s a real World Cup with the best teams and the best players.”

The tournament has been condemned on multiple fronts. Global player organization FIFPro were outspoken in the additional demands an expanded tournament places on professionals, and, over the past week, several games featured large sections of empty seating as ticket sales failed to reach the kind of level Infantino would have hoped for.

The FIFA chief accompanied representatives from Serie A side Juventus as they visited President Donald Trump at the White House and was speaking in New York on the day American strikes were launched at Iran, a potential issue for FIFA with Iran having qualified for next summer’s World Cup that the U.S. will share with Canada and Mexico.

Infantino’s remarks were part of a wide-ranging conversation with Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz at the Javitz Center on Saturday. Before the FIFA head spoke at length about his vision for soccer in America, he was asked about the “Gianni Cup,” as Schultz jokingly called the Club World Cup.

“It was about time that somebody invented a World Cup for club teams,” Infantino said. “Since 100 years, we know which is the best country in the world, but, until today, we do not really know which is the best team in the world. So, we thought it might not be a bad idea to create a World Cup for teams to decide.”

While the Club World Cup has existed before, this summer’s format, featuring 32 teams with a $1 billion fund, is a first.

The Club World Cup has had its fair share of criticism, stretching back to when players threatened to boycott the competition over concerns with player workload. Many also question whether its prize pool has the potential to unbalance leagues when participating teams return home.

Now that the tournament is underway, though, empty seats and extreme weather have raised eyebrows, particularly as it relates to next year’s men’s World Cup, also being hosted in the United States.

Infantino insisted the tournament has got off to a successful start. “Well, I think the players who play, they are loving it,” Infantino told Schultz.

He referenced Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, captain of the English men’s national team, who spoke fondly of the lively atmosphere he experienced on Friday night in Miami Gardens. That was thanks to Boca Juniors fans who made Hard Rock Stadium feel more like La Bombonera.

“Harry Kane gave an interview saying, ‘It’s a fantastic competition. It’s beautiful’,” Infantino said. “They (players) love it. Those who are not there, of course, they would love to be there.”

That match between Bayern and Boca is a positive sign for the potential a Club World Cup offers. Another is Brazilian club Botafogo beating European champions Paris Saint-Germain, one of the first major upsets.

While the competition is considered Infantino’s prized project, he believes a successful Club World Cup and men’s World Cup have the potential to change the trajectory of the sport in America.

“The Club World Cup, and with the World Cup next year, is to show to young Americans that, actually, if you are good and if you are talented, you don’t need to go to another sport, because through soccer, there is a path for glory and a path for money, as well,” Infantino said.

“You can become famous. You can become rich if you follow a soccer path, which today young Americans don’t see. Because they see, of course, the NFL or the NBA or baseball or ice hockey, but we will show them here, in their country, the power of soccer.”

(Top photo: John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics)

Celtic have agreed a £1.28m fee to sign Sweden striker Benjamin Nygren from Nordsaelland, with the 23-year-old signing a contract until June 2029 plus an option until 2030. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external

Celtic are among several overseas clubs looking closely at 25-year-old £1.5m-rated Kawasaki Frontale striker Shin Yamada. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), external

PSV Eindhoven are now ahead of Celtic and Lille in the queue to sign Sarpsborg winger Sondre Orjasaeter, with the 21-year-old’s asking price having risen to £11m compared to the £7m mentioned when the Scottish champions were first linked with him in January. (TV Sport 2 via The Herald On Sunday), external

Any move by RB Leipzig for 25-year-old Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn is likely to be held up until the German club appoint a new head coach. (Merkur), external

Birmingham City are just one of a string enquiries to be made about former Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi, with Rennes preferring a permanent exit for the 30-year-old, although they may be willing to green light a temporary one. (L’Equipe via The Herald On Sunday), external

Bournemouth right-back Max Aarons has agreed to move to Rangers on loan, with both clubs having signed all the documents and with formal steps to follow for the 25-year-old. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external

Max Aarons rejected approaches from Burnley and Leeds United, along with a host of Championship clubs, before agreeing to join Rangers on loan from Bournemouth. (The Boot Room), external

It was said on ERA sport that Rangers, AEK Athens and Cyriel Dessers have reached a full agreement for the 30-year-old striker to complete a transfer to the Greek club. (AEK Guy on X), external

Rangers are determined on keeping 22-year-old forward Hamza Igamane at the club beyond the summer transfer window despite interest from Everton and West Ham United. (Football Insider), external

Rangers could miss out on striker Dor Turgeman because Maccabi Tel Aviv may be reluctant to sell the 21-year-old, or will significantly raise the asking price, because of fears the rising conflict in the Middle East will make it more difficult for them to attract a replacement signing. (Sport 5 via Glasgow Times), external

Luka Jelenic has attracted interest from Rangers and Vitoria Guimaraes and Rangers, but there are no official offers yet for the 25-year-old centre-half who Osijek bought for £685,000 last season from Varazdin. (24sata via Croatian Football on X), external

With the Club World Cup entering its second week, fans and spectators from around the world are learning just how chaotic summer weather can be in the United States.

Weather has become a major focal point of the tournament, with four matches in four days experiencing weather-related delays that have at times suspended play for as long as two hours. Weather concerns will likely continue into next week, as a heat wave is expected to send temperatures soaring across the country, starting this weekend.

Severe weather, such as extreme heat in Los Angeles or sudden thunderstorms in Orlando, is par for the course for Americans during the summer months of June and July and will likely mirror what we’ll see at the men’s World Cup in 2026.

“What you’re seeing right now is very typical. This is not unusual at all,” Ben Schott, operations chief with the National Weather Service, told The Athletic on Friday. “Next year, we may be going through the same thing.”

Schott, who was tapped by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the parent agency of the NWS, to be the agency’s World Cup planning team representative, has been keeping tabs on the Club World Cup and all the weather-related mishaps that have unraveled over the past week. Scott has been working closely with FIFA and organizers over the past eight months to prepare for next year, and is also overseeing his agency’s planning for the 2028 Olympics in L.A..

The weather-related issues at the Club World Cup began when thunderstorms forced Tuesday’s fixture between Ulsan and Mamelodi Sundowns in Orlando, Florida, to be delayed by more than an hour. The following day in Cincinnati, Ohio, roughly 900 miles away, Red Bull Salzburg’s match against Pachuca was also delayed for 97 minutes because of severe thunderstorms.

Then, Thursday’s match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, between Palmeiras and Al Ahly was also suspended briefly as flash storms rolled through the region amid scorching heat that left fans scrambling for shade and water. The scattered storms may have been brief, but they posed real risks for those in the area. In nearby Central Park in Manhattan, less than 14 miles away, a 15-year-old was standing under a tree when he was struck by lightning. He miraculously survived.

The longest weather delay came on Friday, when Benfica’s 6-0 win over Auckland City was marred by a two-hour weather delay due to thunderstorms in Orlando, again.

“This time of year, especially east of the Rockies, we see thunderstorm development quite frequently. Especially in the northern half of the U.S., (from) Cincinnati all the way east to New York,” Schott said. “It’s not unusual this time of year to have cold fronts coming through, producing thunderstorms that are going to come through with each cold front. That can come through every three to five, seven days.”

Geography also plays a massive role in certain weather patterns. In Florida, for example, a sea breeze can form on the western and eastern coasts of the state. “Thunderstorms love to form on that sea breeze, and then, typically, that sea breeze moves further inland,” Schott said. “So, it’s possible that afternoon matches (and) early evening matches could be impacted by that phenomenon.”

In a country as massive as the United States, weather challenges vary from region to region. So, the National Weather Service has been working closely with FIFA’s safety and security chief to develop plans for all 11 U.S. cities preparing to host World Cup games next year.

“They’ve already developed a hazards weather plan that they presented to the FIFA officials, and it broke it down city by city, the threats that are possible in each of the cities that the World Cup will be participating in,” Schott said.

It should be noted that of the four delays so far, only the one at MetLife took place in a city that will stage World Cup games, as Orlando and Cincinnati both missed out on hosting rights.

Of the arenas affected so far, Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando has no more scheduled Club World Cup games, although nearby Camping World Stadium is slated for four more, including the big Group G clash between Juventus and Manchester City. Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium has just one more scheduled match, while MetLife has five more, including both semifinals and the final.

Next summer, the National Weather Service will also have meteorologists in each city who will work closely with local leaders, Schott said. Their main goal as a federal agency being to protect “life and property.” He explained that FIFA, meanwhile, will likely have its own meteorologist who will prioritize forecasting related to players and the tournament.

“We do have meteorologists that are working in each of those cities with officials who are planning the events, both Club (World) Cup and World Cup,” Schott said. “So, there are folks, and have been behind the scenes for the last few months, working with those officials to make sure that anybody attending a Club Cup event will be safe (and) will be protected from weather.”

Schott’s biggest concern looking ahead to next year is making sure that those involved are doing their best to inform the public of any risks posed by extreme weather in the U.S., and ensuring forecasts are delivered efficiently with as much notice as possible. That’s especially important for international fans who may be unfamiliar with the nuances of an American summer. To reach them, the agency has plans to translate their forecasts into all the FIFA-approved languages.

“We want to make sure that we work with the FIFA folks so they can make sure they pass those threats along. A lot of folks are coming in, and they may not be as legible of North American weather and the time of year,” Schott said. “Severe weather, heavy rain, significant heat, are all dangerous threats that we have to put up with here and in North America. It’s just (about) working with them to make sure that they understand that these things are going to be possible next year.”

He added that some fans “just aren’t familiar with United States weather and how fast they can go from a sunny day to a significant weather event in just minutes. That’s something that we can see, and it’s something that we will make sure that we’re reporting out.”

(Top photo: Alex Livesey / FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images)

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has praised the concept of the newly-expanded Club World Cup, saying the change was “very much needed”.

City won the tournament two years ago when it was contested by seven teams but this summer it has grown to 32. It has split opinion but the prize pot is worth $1 billion in total and Soriano believes it is a good thing for the sport.

“We are very excited by it, I think it’s something that was very much needed,” he told reporters in the United States. “Soccer is a global sport and we have to make it global.

“You have to have teams like Manchester City playing teams from Morocco, Korea or wherever. That’s part of the globalisation of the number one sport in the world.

“I think it’s a great initiative and we are very happy to be here.”

Attendances have varied at different stadiums and cities but City’s opening match in Philadelphia brought a crowd of 37,446.

“It’s very important to be here because we are a global football club,” said Soriano.

“We have our roots and we are proud of them. But you can be local and relevant and faithful to the history of the club and the fans that support you, but you can also be global and show what we do — which we believe is beautiful football — to the world.

“It’s a combination that works very well and we are proud.”

City beat Moroccan side Wydad AC 2-0 in their opening game and play Al Ain and Juventus in their remaining group matches.

Having gone a season without a trophy for the first time since 2016-2017, City are aiming to go all the way in the U.S. “The ambition for City in any competition is to win it. That’s the status of the club,” Soriano added.

“Obviously, it’s not possible to win always so we want to go as far as we can. But the ambition of Manchester City always is to win.”

Guardiola has reiterated a need for a smaller squad heading into the new season, having joked at the end of the last campaign he would “quit” unless the playing staff was cut.

City have a 27-man touring party for the Club World Cup; out-of-favour Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips have been left at home, James McAtee was not selected and Mateo Kovacic is injured.

Meanwhile, German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been linked with a move to Turkish champions Galatasaray.

“We have – right now – a long squad, too many players, so we cannot go with 26, 27 players this season because there would be more [not] playing and step by step maybe a few players are going to move. But right now, Ilkay is absolutely part of my mind and the team.

“I would love to have the players that we have now all season. I would love it. I don’t have any complaints about the players, how they behave.”

He added: “The problem is they will be unhappy during the season. They will be sad, they will be disappointed. I don’t want that. For me it’s not a problem.

“I have more [players to select] and I don’t [want] six, seven players, if no injuries, being at home. So I do it that way. I do that for them.

“So that’s why we have to see what happens. We still have a long time, I would say, until the transfer window will be closed.”