The 25-year-old defender was blamed by fans and pundits for mistakes which contributed to England’s 3-1 defeat to Holland on Thursday night.

And Stones has recently been the subject of taunts from fellow players over his relationship with Olivia Naylor, 30, who he met shortly after his split from long-time girlfriend Millie Savage, the mother of his 18-month-old daughter.

England footballer John Stones’s recent poor performances could be a result of trolling by his fellow players for his new relationship with a beautician he met when she was pregnant – after he dumped his childhood sweetheart. Above: Stones was at fault in England’s 3-1 defeat to Holland on Thursday night

The then pregnant Ms Naylor and Stones, who plays for Manchester City, met on a night out in the city and they started dating after she had given birth to a baby boy.

A footballer insider told The Sun on Sunday: ‘The talk among players is that John’s personal life could have had something to do with his errors.

‘John is getting a ribbing, partly because Olivia knows other players.’

The insider added there were a few ‘raised eyebrows’ when Stones was picked to start against Holland, with his poor performance coming as ‘no surprise’ to people who know ‘what he has been going through’.

And Stones has recently been the subject of taunts from fellow players over his relationship with Olivia Naylor (pictured), 30, who he met shortly after his split from long-time girlfriend Millie Savage, the mother of his young daughter

In the Thursday night UEFA Nations League semi-final defeat, Stones was at fault for Holland’s first goal and their second was scored after he lost the ball.

Fans and pundits including former England defender Jamie Carragher were critical of the player’s ‘stupid’ mistakes.

The player’s new romance is alleged to have been widely discussed on players’ WhatsApp groups, with Ms Naylor well-known on the Manchester party scene and a regular at clubs frequented by rival Manchester United players.

Players are taking part in the taunts in the apparently mistaken belief that Stones left Ms Savage for Ms Naylor, the source said.

However, it is understood the pair started dating some time after he and Ms Savage and split up.

The devastating break-up shortly after the 2018 World Cup saw Stones move out of the £3.4million Cheshire mansion where he lived with Ms Savage, who he started seeing aged 12.

Stones and Millie Savage, who he started seeing aged 12, broke up shortly after the 2018 World Cup. Above: The pair following England’s win over Colombia in the tournament

The pair were happy to show off their affection for each other during last summer’s World Cup

Ms Savage is the mother of her and Stones’s 18-month-old daughter

Their relationship had been mired with cheating allegations when Stones was supposedly found to have been involved in a two-month affair.

At the time, family friends told MailOnline the break-up left the Savage family heartbroken.

‘It is like they are grieving for a lost son,’ said a friend.

‘This has just devastated them and there have been lots of tears. John was so close to them and they have known him since he was a teenager.’

The family friend said they were not aware why Stones had decided to end the relationship.

Stones was also reported to have begun a course of treatment to have a tattoo of Millie’s face laser removed from his arm – signalling the split is permanent.

Stones had the tattoo inked on his arm in 2017 to prove his loyalty to Millie after he was accused of having a brief fling.

It was then revealed in March that Stones had started dating Ms Naylor.

A source told The Sun about the pair meeting:  ‘Olivia was pregnant at the time and they discovered they had mutual friends. They make a nice couple and seem happy.’