New Delhi: Manchester City captain Kyle Walker is all set to make his 400th appearance in the Premier League. Speaking about the event, City’s manager Pep Guardiola was all praises about his skipper and was confident about Walker’s physical fitness to remain at the top of the game for a long period of time.
Guardiola felt that whenever Walker was “focused,” he was dangerous to the opponents. Further, Guardiola mentioned that the milestone was a testament to the consistency with which the right-back has played and avoided injury. The Spanish manager also mentioned that Walker had an impressive winning percentage.
🔵🏴 Pep Guardiola on Kyle Walker set to reach 400 PL appearances: “I don’t have any doubts about his physicality. He can play whenever!”.
“I’m happy he’s back in the national team, and this milestone is unbelievable. His win rate is not spectacular, it’s superior”. pic.twitter.com/fcCRa6zAff
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 5, 2024
Walker will have a joint-highest winning percentage after 400 games, tied at 64% with Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. He has made 201 appearances for City in the top-tier of English football, 183 times in Tottenham Hotspur and 15 times for Aston Villa. Currently only four other players have won the Premier League title more than the 34-year-old, having played a crucial role in the six title wins under Guardiola.
With City now placed second in the Premier League points table ahead of their Saturday clash against Fulham, Walker had a slow start to the season, but with increased playing time, the City skipper is on the rise again. He has been in great form in both the right-back position and the defensive midfield and has even been featured in an attacking role a couple of times this season.
Return to the Three Lions squad
His performance has attracted the attention of England’s interim coach, Lee Carsley. Carsley spoke about the selection and felt that the team was always looking for someone with Walker’s experience. Had he played for Manchester City earlier this season, he would have featured in the Three Lions squad during the previous international break. Walker’s approach and experience will benefit the young players in the English side.
For Guardiola’s side, Walker has a different role to play. He needs to remain focused and motivated to win. Guardiola has himself said that he wants his players to forget the past glories and concentrate on the upcoming season. This is a mentality clearly reflected in Walker’s style of playing, and that makes it hard for him to be excluded from the team.
As Kyle Walker is all set to make his 400th Premier League appearance, here’s what Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had to say about the event. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
