Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has named Ruben Dias as Europe's best defender, while praising the performances shown by John Stones this season.
The Manchester City duo were stars during the Premier League title-winning campaign, with Dias winning the Premier League's Player of the Season award.
Alongside him, Stones has fought back from the brink at the Etihad Stadium to find himself ahead of Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake in the club's pecking order and is back on the international scene with England.
Stones is expected to be first-choice in the centre of defence for the Three Lions at the European Championships, alongside United skipper Harry Maguire, in what represents a significant turnaround for the 27-year-old.
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Mourinho believes he has benefited from playing alongside Dias at club level, claiming his fightback has been extremely beneficial to Gareth Southgate.
"The situation of John Stones this season was the best that could happen to the national team. He went through a very difficult period. The coach believed in the talent and developed the talent and had a fantastic season," he told the Times.
"Of course, he is playing with the best central defender in Europe [in Rúben Dias]. Stones is in the best moment of his career.
"I think they complement each other very well. Physically they are very strong and very fast. Normally when you look to the tall, strong centre backs, the dominant centre backs in aerial duels, you can find a little bit of a weakness of agility, flexibility, speed and turning.
"They are both very fast. They can give the team all these qualities that are needed in the first third but they can press high. They are not afraid to give space behind."
Both Stones and Dias will compete in the Euros this summer and could come face-to-face in the knockout stages of the competition.
