John Stones makes promising Inter Milan start before injury disrupts his debut season

John Stones has made a measured but promising start to his Inter Milan career following his summer departure from Manchester City, with the Italian football press offering a cautiously positive verdict on the experienced defender — before injury once again intervened.

Stones, who spent a decade at the Etihad Stadium, signed a two-year contract with the Serie A club and was welcomed with an 800-word feature on Inter’s official website that traced his journey from Barnsley to Champions League winner. The reception in Italy was understated compared to the fanfare that greeted Scott McTominay’s arrival in Naples, but Football Italia editor Lorenzo Bettoni told MEN Sport that the contrast reflects geography as much as profile.

“Naples is not quite like Milan,” Bettoni explained. “You would never get that many fans unless it’s a very big name, like you would usually get in Rome or in Naples. For the very beginning, it is very different from the north cities and from the north fans.”

On the broader Italian reaction, Bettoni was clear that the signing was received as shrewd rather than spectacular. “The general view is that Inter have made a potentially smart signing, but just a regular signing,” he said. “Nobody was saying he could not help the team.”

Inter, who won the league and cup double under new head coach Cristian Chivu last season, have carried that momentum into the current campaign and sit with a perfect record in Serie A. Stones has been introduced gradually, making brief substitute appearances in wins over Monza and Cagliari before a strong second-half display against Real Madrid in the Champions League earned him his first league start, against Udinese.

That start, however, was followed by an injury setback — a familiar pattern for the England international during his time at City. “He started the following game against Udinese, but then he got his injury,” Bettoni said. “It’s kind of a disruptive start to the plans. But his injury story was well known.”

Chivu had reportedly been keen to draw on Stones’ experience both tactically and within the dressing room, aware that his profile differed from the defenders he was brought in to replace, including Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij. The early signs were encouraging; the injury is a setback, but not an unfamiliar one for a player whose quality, when fit, has rarely been in question.