Kyle Walker MISSED Man City training ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan in worrying sign for Pep Guardiola’s side
- Kyle Walker is in great form for Man City as they chase an historic Treble
- He has played a key role in Pep Guardiola’s new hybrid system in recent months
- But the right-back missed City training ahead of the Champions League final
Kyle Walker was absent from Manchester City’s open training session ahead of the Champions League final on Tuesday.
City head to Istanbul on Saturday to take on Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, aiming to become the first side since arch rivals Manchester United in 1998-99 to win a historic Treble.
They are fresh off winning the FA Cup after beating United 2-1 at the weekend, with Ilkay Gundogan’s two goals enough to break the tie.
But ahead of their final assignment of the season, Kyle Walker did not attend their training session at the City Football Academy on Tuesday afternoon – which was open to the media – which was a worrying sign for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Walker has been an integral part of their impressive form over the past few months, with his pace and defensive acumen particularly evident as he beat Vinicius Jr.
Kyle Walker was absent from Manchester City’s open training session on Tuesday ahead of the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul this Saturday
It was a fascinating turnaround for the England right-back, as Guardiola claimed in April that he was not fit to play in City’s new system, which sees John Stones move into midfield and beyond.
Before their trip to Southampton, Guardiola had said: “He can’t do it. He will always have pace; Kyle at 60 years old will be the fastest player in this room.
“To play indoors you have to have deliberate movements – he doesn’t have all the features.
“He used to play at fullback coming in with four in the back. He’s done a really good job, but this form of three in the back and two in the middle, he can’t do it.’
After that game against the Saints, Walker started every league game for the rest of the year apart from the game against Leeds – which preceded that aforementioned semi-final with Real.
His absence from training is so far unexplained, but Guardiola will address the media at 2pm ahead of the club’s media day.
If fit, the 33-year-old – who impressed in Saturday’s FA Cup final when he helped to largely break United’s attack on that day – is expected to start in Istanbul.
Since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, Walker has made 253 appearances and won 13 trophies, including five Premier League titles.
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