Kyle Walker names unexpected player as his toughest ever opponent

Kyle Walker came up with a surprise choice when asked about the player he has struggled the most against his career.

One of the fastest defenders ever to play the game, the Manchester City skipper's recovery speed is almost a cheat code.

Walker has performed well against the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Raheem Sterling, Vinicius Jr and Marcus Rashford - with his pace utterly invaluable in 1v1 situations.

However, the England international has admitted that it is a completely different type of player that he experienced difficulty defending against.

During his career, Walker singled out former Arsenal and City star Nasri as the player who gave him a whole lot of problems in coming off the flank and getting on the ball.

Image: Getty

"I used to love playing against Raz [Sterling]," Walker said on Rio Ferdinand's FIVE podcast.

"I used to love it. Not as in like a disrespectful way, I knew he was a good player and if I did well against him, people would appreciate what I'm doing.

"[Samir] Nasri. I used to hate Nasri. He just used to put himself in pockets. Put someone against me one versus one I'm alright but them clever player sitting in pockets, you'd then have Gael Clichy overlapping.

"I'd go in there and Gael's on the overlap. As soon as they pulled me or you [Ferdinand] out of the line, we lost that pace."

Walker saved City in duels against Rashford in Sunday's Manchester derby victory and explained the intricacies of his current role within Pep Guardiola's side.

Image: Getty

He added: "If I go, with John [Stones] stepping into that centre midfield role, I'm leaving Ruben. With Manu [Akanji] you can kind of do it and gamble on that as if I don't get that, Manu's always there.

"It's just different players you play with and the manager likes to change it."

Walker was asked about Trent Alexander-Arnold's comments claiming that Liverpool's trophy wins "mean more" than City's.

The 33-year-old did not want to give much focus but acknowledged that the remarks had been discussed in the dressing room.

Topics: Kyle Walker, Manchester City, Samir Nasri, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

@joshlawless_