Man City 'identify long-term successor' to Kyle Walker who used to play in their academy

Manchester City have reportedly identified their long-term successor to Kyle Walker - and it is a player that successfully graduated from their academy.

Walker has been one of the best right-backs in the Premier League for much of the past 15 years across spells with Tottenham and City.

His recovery pace and strength have always been two of his key attributes, while the defensive side of his game has significantly improved over time as well.

Walker joined City in 2017 as one of Pep Guardiola's first marquee signings and has won 15 trophies with the club, including five Premier League titles and a Champions League crown.

He signed a two-year contract extension with City last summer to keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2026.

The England international will be 36 when that deal concludes - with City potentially looking for replacements by that time.

And according to The Sun, Guardiola has identified Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong as Walker's long-term successor.

Frimpong, a Netherlands international, has played as a wing-back under Xabi Alonso this season, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists in the Bundesliga.

His defensive abilities have been questioned in the past - particularly by Dutch national team manager Ronald Koeman - but Guardiola has proven that he can coach players to improve that side of their game.

And the Spaniard already knows Frimpong well, with the full-back spending nine years at City's academy between 2010 and 2019.

Getty

But he made the decision to leave the club and sign for Celtic on a four-year deal, before joining Leverkusen in January 2021.

The Sun claim that, although Frimpong is seen as the long-term replacement for Walker, the reported existence of a £35 million release clause could force City to do business early, with Manchester United also said to be keen on signing the 23-year-old.

Should he make the move back to the blue side of Manchester, City would have a fearsome set of right-backs, with fellow academy graduate Rico Lewis also an option on that flank.