Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker has issued a response after receiving criticism from fans after his side's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Walker, 34, captained the side which failed to win for seventh game in a row, with a sixth defeat in seven matches, meaning they sit fifth in the league.
He was just one of several City players who put in a poor performance and were called out by unhappy fans on social media.
On Monday afternoon, he posted a statement to Instagram.
Advert
The defender posted a photograph of him in action titled 'A message to our fans'.
"We know our recent performances haven’t been up to the standard we expect, and we’re aware it’s been tough," read the caption.
"But we’ve been through these challenges before, together, and we’ll come through this one as well. It’s important that we all stay together as one club, as Manchester City, through this tough spell.
"Your support, whether in the good times or the difficult moments, means everything to us.
"We’ve won titles in the final games of the season, and we’ve made history with a record-breaking 100-point campaign, right down to the last kick.
"We’ve shown time and time again that we can rise to the challenge, and we will do so again. I promise you, we’ll fight until the very end 🩵"
Fans were quick to give their thoughts in the comments section of the post.
One said: "Keep going, you guys got this, win or lose I’ll always support you guys never give up."
Another added: "Come on city"
A third commented: "With all due respect, you have been a great player for us and we still believe in you but leave the captaincy."
With a fourth saying: "Love it captain, we'll be back."
Walker was arguably at fault for Liverpool's opener on Sunday, he lost track of Cody Gakpo's run before Mo Salah whipped a ball across the City penalty area allowing Gakpo to nudge the ball into the net.
Even for Liverpool's second goal, the defender took a heavy touch after Ruben Dias lost control of the ball, which allowed Liverpool's Luis Diaz to prod the ball away from City's defence before being brought down by Stefan Ortega for a penalty.
Salah converted the spot kick to give Liverpool a two goal lead.
Topics:Â Manchester City, Kyle Walker, Premier League, Liverpool, Football
Luke Davies