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John Stones insists England can turn on the style like Manchester City .

Pep Guardiola has turned City into the Premier League’s great entertainers and they could have a strong presence in the line-up against Slovenia in Thursday's World Cup qualifier at Wembley, with Stones, Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling all set to start.

But the Spaniard's Three Lions counterpart Gareth Southgate knows plenty of managers before him have struggled to get players reproducing their best club form for England.

Defender Stones believes there's enough talent in their squad to step it up and deliver courageous, attacking performances on the international stage.

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Stones said: “We have the players to do it.

“It is difficult to bring how you play in the Premier League into international football — it is so different. But we are always striving to be better and there is a lot of likeness between how City play to international football, as with Tottenham and various other clubs.

“To try to gel those things is difficult — I suppose that is where football is evolving to. It is changing, it is not where it was 20 years ago.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters) (Image: AFP)

“As long as England win and keep clean sheets and keep bettering themselves every year - and hopefully making the nation proud – that is all that matters.

“That we keep making steps forward and keep progressing and trying to do our best for ourselves, our families and the nation.”

Stones has had a stop-start England career largely because he has been in and out of his club side but he believes his performance against Chelsea on Saturday might have been his best yet.

“As a player I have always been moving in the right direction,” said Stones. “Everyone has their ups and downs. We started this season off well as a team at club level and it was an important match against Chelsea.

“They won the league last season and it was important to keep the run going and keep another clean sheet. Defensively, on a personal level, maybe it was one of the best games we have played in.

“I am enjoying my football – just trying to keep improving day in, day out, mentally, physically and tactically on the training pitch. And I think the hunger to keep improving and keep getting to more targets in my game is striving me to get better.

“Keeping clean sheets has spoken for itself over the last five or six games I think it is. As I say, I am enjoying my football. Any player who has had a dip will say that the best bit is when you are enjoying it.

“Winning always helps as well.”