Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal admits he wanted to sign John Stones before he joined Manchester City.
The defender headed to rivals Manchester City in 2016 with the Blues paying close to £50m to Everton.
Van Gaal said, "What is helping Pep is that John Stones is back to his very best.
“I remember seeing Stones as a young defender and I thought he was fantastic and blessed with a great personality.
“This was the reason I wanted to sign him when I was manager of Man United. I did not succeed.
“I would have loved it if he had come to United, but he chose to go to City.
“It is great that Stones is full of confidence again after losing it for a while.
“Pep has given him confidence again and it is wonderful to see how well Stones is playing again."
