He is "Incomparable" and "Unique", Guardiola on Kyle Walker exit rumour

Widad September 19, 2023 0

 

Kyle Walker and Pepe Guardiola

Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, thinks Kyle Walker is a "unique" and "incomparable" talent.

Walker was courted by Bayern Munich and had rumors of leaving the Etihad after playing a key role in Guardiola's time at City.

The 33-year-old defender chose to stay with the team instead, and he signed a new contract to do so.

Before their opening Champions League encounter against Crvena Zvezda in Serbia, Guardiola was questioned by TNT Sports about what makes Walker such a remarkable player.

"I would say first of all [as] a footballer, [he] has a genetic [quality] that is incomparable, physicalities, something unique,“ After is the personality,” he explained. “When he talks to his mates, the people listen and now I think he is making a step as a more mature player, on and off the pitch.”" he replied.

While Guardiola has spent hundreds of millions of pounds on left-sided defenders, Walker has been a mainstay on the right flank and his boss believes he has begun to develop. Walker had periodically made headlines for his off-the-field antics.

Guardiola recognized that losing Walker would have been difficult to handle. City lost a number of key players over the course of the summer transfer season, including Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan, Joao Cancelo, and Cole Palmer.

He said: “It would have been a big, big blow, to lose him as a player. Fortunately it didn’t happen, it’s important. Seven years together, we know each other with eye contact. And he is a special player, he is irreplaceable.

“As long as he’s focused, he’ll be there for many years.”