Manchester City defender John Stones admits to having mixed emotions ahead of his Everton return, and insisted he hasn't paid attention to recent criticism of his play.
Stones was signed from the Toffees for £47.5 million last summer and has struggled to adapt to his new team, including a recent stretch that has seen him become the target of critics.
And the 22-year-old Stones acknowledges his inaugural season at the Etihad hasn't gone as well as he'd hoped thus far.
"Definitely, my performances dipped and I made a few silly mistakes that I've tried to correct now," Stones told Sky Sports.
"It's only natural that these things happen, playing so many games. It's new to me, playing three games a week some weeks and I've got to find a way to adapt myself.
"Everyone's disappointed when they don't feel like they play well or they make a mistake. I'm the first one to hold my hand up and try and rectify that in training or the next game.
"As a player you get scrutinised and rightly so, sometimes it's what comes with a move that I've made. I've just got to take that on the chin and concentrate on me.
"I've kind of stopped listening to that side of the game. Everyone finds their little ways of getting past bad moments and everyone has them, it's football. We get the good moments and we get stick. You can start overthinking, it's human, everyone does it.
"[Even with] friends, family, teammates, I think the less said the better sometimes, just the odd word here and there keeps you on track."
Stones, who made 100 appearances for Everton in his career, returns to Goodison Park when City face his old side on Sunday, which means the chance to show his football in familiar surroundings.
"There's mixed emotions. I've got a lot of friends there, I played a lot of games for Everton and a lot of my family has got friends there, so it's a big occasion for them, as it is for me," he said.