We want bravery, not stupidity, in defence - Southgate

Southgate wants bravery from his defenders on the ball Credit: PA

John Stones gives Gareth Southgate the odd fright but the interim England boss will continue to encourage a defender who has the "perfect" teacher in Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Three months ago the 22-year-old swapped Everton for the Etihad Stadium in a £47.5million deal, making him the second most expensive defender of all-time.

It was a huge outlay borne of Guardiola's belief in the talented defender, although there remains work to get the rough diamond sparkling consistently.

There were some unnerving moments from Stones as England overcame Scotland 3-0 on Friday evening, when attempts to play from the back at times got his team into trouble, but Southgate was keen to defend his centre-back and encourage technical progression.

Meanwhile, Southgate has also spoken of his willingness to embrace, rather than fear, the possibility of taking on the England manager position on a full-time basis.

Reluctant to replace Roy Hodgson in the wake of the Euro 2016 embarrassment, the 46-year-old was parachuted into the hotseat as a newspaper sting brought Sam Allardyce's brief reign to an ignominious end.

Southgate was charged with steadying the ship in the final four matches of a turbulent year, which England will end top of their World Cup qualifying group after Friday's 3-0 win against oldest foes Scotland.

The Three Lions' biggest win in the fixture since May 1975 has boosted the former defender's chances of getting the job permanently, but his reluctance to speak about that possibility continued with a friendly against Spain still to go.