Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: Manchester City, Kyle Walker, Football, Premier League
Patrick Rowe
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has hinted that Kyle Walker's playing days at Manchester City could be over after highlighting his tactical limitations.
Walker, 32, has made 238 appearances for City where he has gone on to play a major role in the recent success of the club, securing four Premier League trophies, four League Cups and one FA Cup title across his six years in blue.
The defender, who kick started his career at his hometown club Sheffield United, arrived in Manchester back in 2017 when he completed a £46.6 million transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to join the ranks of Guardiola's revolution at the club.
However, his days in a City shirt could now be numbered after Guardiola made the following admission regarding Walker and his new-found system of three centre backs.
A formation which he believes a player of Walker's characteristics does not have the capabilities to thrive in. He said. “He will always have pace, he will be the fastest in this room at 60. To play inside you have to make some movements, he has other characteristics.
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“He has played as a full-back coming inside with four in the back with Joao [Cancelo] or Alex [Zinchenko] in that position and Kyle has done it really well.
“But with this shape of three in the back and two in the middle, he cannot do it. It’s just a question of skills.
“The quality sometimes you need some specific things, there are players that have his qualities. You would not ask Riyad [Mahrez] to play as a full-back because he cannot play as a full-back.
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“The reason why is tactical. It’s not because we lost faith in Kyle.”