Roberto Martinez hails 'irreplaceable' John Stones as Everton beat Chelsea
Saturday 12 September 2015 20:49, UK
Everton manager Roberto Martinez hailed John Stones as 'irreplaceable' after the England defender's performance in the 3-1 victory against Premier League champions Chelsea.
The 21-year-old was subject of multiple bids from Chelsea over the summer but Everton stood firm, rejecting all approaches for the player.
Stones played for club and country throughout the saga and Martinez added that his performance showed why Everton were so determined to keep him at Goodison Park.
"Sometimes you play against the champions and you can beat them, but you look at lucky breaks - but for 90 minutes we restricted Chelsea to two shots on target," Martinez said.
"Clearly John showed we couldn't replace a player like John Stones at that stage. He has been heavily tested but we never had a doubt in the way he would perform and he never let the team down.
"He always trained and performed well and today he showed he is going to be a future England captain.
Martinez also took time to praise substitute Steven Naismith after his hat-trick handed Everton all three points.
He added: "It would have been all too easy for Naisy not to be ready and not to be happy to not be in starting XI, but he gave us a real example of focus, concentration and the real standard of this dressing room.
"We know we can play better but what you are looking at is a complete performance."
