England right-backs: Why John Stones is Thomas Tuchel's best option for World Cup quarter-final (exclusive)

John Stones is England's champion enactment astatine right-back for Saturday's World Cup 2026 quarter-final with Norway, Danny Murphy has exclusively explained to Sports Mole.

The Three Lions person struggled for consistency connected the right-hand broadside of defence each summertime owed to injuries, with Tino Livramento withdrawing earlier the tourney began and Reece James picking up a hamstring occupation not agelong after.

Tottenham Hotspur's Djed Spence besides suffered a sound earlier the 3-2 last-16 triumph implicit Mexico, successful which Jarell Quansah received a reddish paper for superior foul play, 1 that carries a two-game suspension aft FIFA extended his punishment.

Spence and James are some connected people to beryllium acceptable for the quarter-final, though, meaning that England could person six right-back options astatine the Hard Rock Stadium, besides including Stones, Ezri Konsa, Declan Rice and Trevoh Chalobah.

However, Murphy has urged Thomas Tuchel to prime Stones successful the full-back role, owing to the erstwhile Manchester City man's experience, quality and quality to invert into cardinal areas.

Danny Murphy explains wherefore John Stones should commencement astatine right-back for England

"I'd play John Stones," Murphy told Sports Mole. "He's not arsenic speedy arsenic immoderate of the different options, but he's acold much experienced and he's specified an intelligent footballer. He's played successful the biggest games imaginable for years. He's got an elite mentality, superb positional consciousness and he's superb connected the ball.

"He's much than susceptible of dealing with idiosyncratic similar Antonio Nusa, and it's not arsenic if he'd beryllium near isolated successful 1v1 situations each game. He'd person enactment from the centre-half and from the wide subordinate successful beforehand of him.

"I besides deliberation England volition predominate the ball, and Stones's quality to measurement into midfield from right-back would beryllium a immense asset. For me, he's the perfect candidate.

"He's not arsenic dynamic arsenic Djed Spence oregon Ezri Konsa successful presumption of moving power, but successful a crippled of this size, each the different qualities helium brings acold outweigh that."

Stones came disconnected the seat to play 33 minutes of England's last-16 triumph implicit Mexico, making 5 clearances and winning his lone aerial contention aft the Three Lions went down to 10 men.

How galore times has John Stones played right-back for England, Man City?

Stones spent astir of the Mexico 2nd fractional defending his ain punishment area, astir exclusively from a right-sided centre-back relation portion Konsa and Bukayo Saka teamed up to support the flanks.

The 32-year-old made a sanction for himself arsenic a cardinal defender during his clip astatine Man City, but according to information from Transfermarkt, helium has besides played 65 nine games arsenic a right-back.

Nineteen of those came during the 2012-13 Championship play for Barnsley, but helium besides completed the afloat 90 astatine right-back during Man City's melodramatic 3-2 triumph implicit Aston Villa connected the last time of the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, which won the Citizens the title.

Furthermore, Stones's archetypal 2 England starts successful 2014 - against Norway and Switzerland - came astatine right-back, erstwhile Phil Jones and Gary Cahill would brace up successful the centre of defence.

However, successful spite of Murphy's plea and Stones's acquisition arsenic a right-back, Tuchel is expected to prime a antithetic England player successful that relation successful Miami.

Danny Murphy was speaking to Sports Mole connected behalf of BetWright football betting.