Kyle Walker is not the pace demon he once was. At 34, the Englishman is past his physical prime and injuries are becoming a regular theme. As such, Manchester City is already on the lookout for a successor with Jeremie Frimpong topping the list. Yet, Walker still remains one of the most complete right-backs in the world and the hardest opponent for his teammate Jack Grealish. Notably, Grealish is not the first attacker to pay Walker such a compliment.
In a segment on Sky Sports, Jack Grealish was about his toughest opponent. The winger said, “Like defensively Kyle Walker. Yeah, when I was at Aston Villa and obviously he was at City, played against him all the time. He’s so fast really and like he’s so strong but like you know above all he’s obviously a great defender.” Furthermore, the Englishman also put to bed claims that Walker is good only because of his pace. Grealish explained that as such any ‘random fast person ‘, should make a good defender which is not the case.
Furthermore, Jack Grealish also backed the claim that Kyle Walker is the most complete defender in the world. Furthermore, he added, “On Instagram and stuff you know there I have seen a clip the other day and there were so many wingers you know saying that Kyle’s the hardest. I think Vinicius has said it, Hazard, Neymar. Yes, so many people have said it so yeah I’ll add to that.” Indeed the trio had named Walker as their toughest foe citing his strength and pace. But, who is Kyle Walker’s toughest opponent? Let’s find out below.
Snubbing Jack Grealish, Walker names former Manchester City playmaker as toughest opponent
Unfortunately for Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker didn’t return the favor. Walker was previously asked about his hardest opponent and Samir Nasri was his answer. The Frenchman played for the Sky Blues between 2011-17. However, Nasri wasn’t a pure winger and often lined up in the attacking midfield role. So, why did Walker choose the fleet-footed Frenchman? The answer lies in being smart and less physical.
Walker clarified that he hated playing against Nasri. He explained, “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.” Nasri’s proficiency in playing in tight spaces attracted defenders which freed up space for conventional wingers. It’s safe to say that Nasri’s indirect approach really frustrated Kyle Walker. Could this be the cue for the wingers coming up against the English full-back? It just might be.