Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi has praised England counterpart John Stones ahead of their friendly international between the two teams in Dortmund.
The two players could line up against one another at the back on Wednesday evening, while they are expected to represent Arsenal and Manchester City respectively when the clubs clash in the Premier League on April 2.
Like Stones, Mustafi has endured a mixed campaign, but he has spoken highly of the ball-playing centre-back, who is regarded as one of English football's top talents.
The 24-year-old is quoted by the DFB website as saying: "For me, he's a classy player who plays the ball a lot and is strong in one-on-one situations. He wants to play low balls forward and does it very intelligently.
"Here you can see that English football has developed. The times when they hoofed the ball forward and chased it are long gone."
Stones will win his 16th international cap should he represent the Three Lions at the Westfalenstadion.
Darren Plant
