Ronald Koeman has urged Everton fans to give John Stones a ‘respectful’ reception on his Goodison Park return.
Stones will return to his former stomping ground with Manchester City this weekend for the first time since leaving the Blues in a £47 million deal.
The defender may encounter some hostility after moving to the Etihad Stadium in the infancy of Koeman’s reign and just days before the new Premier League season.
But the Everton manager insists that Stones deserves a warm welcome should he be stepping out for Pep Guardiola’s side on Sunday afternoon.
“I hope [he has] a good, respectful reception because that’s what I like from the crowd,” said Koeman.
“He was an Everton player, he made the move and the club got good money for the boy.
“During 90 minutes, it’s different.”
Stones has struggled to adapt to life at City with a series of poor performances and high-profile mistakes dominating his first season away from Everton.
Moving the England international into a midfield role continues to be mooted and Koeman believes that there is potential scope for the centre-back’s role to evolve.
He added: “I started the season and he was in training [here] and I used him all the time as a centre-back.
“But maybe he can play in different positions.
“We need to realise he’s still a young player nad has made the step to ManchesterCity.
“There’s different expectations and everybody needs time to improve.”