Damien Delaney joined The Football Show on Off The Ball on Tuesday where he cast his eye over the Manchester City defender John Stones.
Stones has not featured for Pep Guardiola in the Champions League following lockdown nor the FA Cup Final.
"He's not the 'downing tools' type, I think he is just mentally shot..."
Damien Delaney thinks John Stones' future needs to be somewhere other than Man City ⚽️📺@paddypower https://t.co/UriLEW1nVw— Off The Ball (@offtheball) August 18, 2020
This despite injuries across the City defence, but Delaney believes criticism earlier in the year took its toll on the England defender.
"I think he's mentally shot. I think Pep Guardiola gave him a tough time when he was making a few mistakes and he has capitulated mentally.
"The all the injuries have happened and Pep is thinking I need to get him back now, if I'd known what was going to happen, I wouldn't have done it.
"He hasn't crushed him, but he's probably had enough of him because Pep has had Kompany, Laporte and Otamendi was good at the time, so he's thinking 'you're not for me kid.'
"Pep has gone after him in a big way and John Stones has melted a bit. Now all the injuries have hit and John Stones probably can't recover mentally from it, looking form the outside.
"There's no way you could go down the route you have gone down when you have someone like John Stones in the building unless John Stones has downed tools, but I know he's not that kind of player.
John Stones
Stones is a player Delaney is familiar with but can see how Pep could affect him mentally.
"I know him a little bit from when he was at Barnsley on loan, playing against him," said the former Palace midfielder. "He's not the downing tools type but he's definitely a worrier.
"Overthinks things a bit, from the couple of conversations I had with him. One time after a game I asked him 'how were things with your man?' because Pep had only just got the job.
"He was like 'Jeez, he's tough.' I was thinking, I know he's only young but I said to him 'Kid, you're a £50 million player, you have got to start acting like one.
"He was like 'Oh, the demands in training."
"It was a bit like talking to a kid: 'Mate, you've got to have a bit more about you than that.'"
