When asked about the toughest opponent he’s faced throughout his career, Kyle Walker surprised many with his choice.
Known for his exceptional speed, the Manchester City captain’s ability to recover is often likened to a cheat code.
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The City star is known as a formidable defender against renowned talents such as Kylian Mbappe, Raheem Sterling, Vinicius Jr, and Marcus Rashford, where his pace proves invaluable in one-on-one situations.
However, despite his success against these formidable opponents, Walker confessed that he found it challenging to defend against a completely different type of player.
Throughout his career, Walker identified former Arsenal and City star Samir Nasri as the player who posed significant difficulties for him, particularly in his ability to drift off the flank and influence the game from midfield.
“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.”
In Sunday’s Manchester derby victory, Walker played a pivotal role in thwarting Rashford’s efforts, effectively securing City’s win. He also elaborated on the complexities of his current position within Pep Guardiola’s team.
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.”
When questioned about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s remarks suggesting that Liverpool’s trophy victories hold more significance than City’s.
The 33-year-old refrained from dwelling on the topic but acknowledged that the comments had been a subject of discussion within the dressing room.
