John Stones

Date Of Birth: 28.5.1994

Place Of Birth: Barnsley

Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

Nationality: England

Position: Defence - Fullback, right or Centreback

John Stones joined Everton from Barnsley on 31 January 2013 for a reported fee of £3 million although Everton's initial outlay could be considerably less.

Stones came through the Barnsley youth setup and between 2011 and 2013 he made 24 first team appearances for the Yorkshire club.

Barnsley fans were sad to see the youngster leave and hoped he may return on loan but were left disappointed as Everton manager David Moyes kept him at Goodison where he was on the fringes of the first team for much of the remainder of the season.

He has also represented England at youth level and although bought as a right back most believed his future would lie as a centre back.

Stones has played as a centre back on several occasions for the reserves during the 2012-13 season.

He forced his way into the team ahead of experienced defenders such as Antolin Alcaraz and Sylvain Distin.

Stones impressed during the 2014-15 season and formed an impressive defensive partnership with Captain Phil Jagielka.

His performances earnt Stones a call up to the England international team and his form was starting to earn unwanted attention from potential suitors for Stones, most notably Chelsea.

Chelsea bid several times for Stones during the summer of 2015 much to the annoyance of manager Roberto Martinez who had issued a firm hands off warning to Chelsea.