Burnley warned of Kyle Walker “flaws” as Man City legacy is analysed following “sour” Etihad exit

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has labelled Kyle Walker as the club’s “best ever right-back”, but he is unsure whether the 35-year-old can still compete at the top level following his permanent move to Burnley.

Walker spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan after handing in a transfer request at Man City in January, but the Serie A giants opted against signing the England international on permanent deal.

Newly-promoted Burnley have since persuaded Walker to sign a two-year contract at Turf Moor, with Pep Guardiola's side allegedly set to earn £5m if the right-back plays in 70% of the Clarets’ top-flight fixtures and they avoid relegation next season.

Walker leaves Man City after a memorable eight-year spell at the Etihad Stadium where he made more than 300 appearances and won 18 trophies, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League during a historic treble-winning campaign in 2022-23.

Discussing the legacy of Walker at Man City following confirmation of his departure, McInerney told Sports Mole: “The best ever right-back in Manchester City history, probably the best ever right-back in Premier League history, a phenomenal player.

“What City have achieved over the past decade, or seven-and-a-half years with Walker, is just simply not possible without Walker. I think the system that we've had, he enabled it as a relative cheat code with that extreme and absurd physical ability that he's got, while also being an incredibly dedicated footballer on the pitch, very liked by his teammates.

Man City’s “best ever right-back” makes “sour exit” from Etihad

“He was a guy who relished the big games and the big battles and made City the best side in the world - literally, we were the best side in the world when Kyle Walker was at his peak and City were at their very best.

“It's been a sour exit, sadly. I think, ultimately, it comes down to him as an individual, how he's handled it. There's lots of stuff off the pitch and so on, and I think he’s left under a bit of a cloud with rumours that Guardiola was not best pleased that his captain asked to leave mid-season because he'd had a tough time and he wasn't in the team.

“People have got every right to leave, but I do think it was a shame that maybe he didn't leave at the end of this season with a big farewell that maybe his efforts on the pitch would have deserved from the home fans. He’s sort of left through the back door. A loan at AC Milan went okay, not too great, and now he's joined Burnley.”

McInerney added: “Away from the pitch, I'm not really a personal fan of how he's handled himself, but I can't deny that on the pitch he's a phenomenal footballer, a truly brilliant one.

“I do believe what City have achieved would simply not be possible without him. There's a lot of talks around City's current high line and I think Kyle Walker was a cheat code in that aspect, he made it possible.

Walker a “big part” of Man City’s “incredible legacy under Guardiola”

“Walker could cover an absurd amount of [ground] from a standing start, better than anyone else in world football, arguably. That pace was absurd. You had people like Neymar, [Kylian] Mbappe and Vinicius Junior who would run at him and he would best them.

“At his very best, you could not get past him. Many of these greats of the game, all these world-class wide player say that Kyle Walker is the hardest player they've ever come up against.

“That is his legacy. That will be his legacy once all the off-the-pitch stuff has died down. I think most people would have him in an all-time Premier League XI, and to me, that is an incredible thing to say.

“He's achieved it all. Four (Premier League titles) in a row, a treble, he even captained City to the Premier League at one point as well. A phenomenal player, slightly sour ending, but that doesn't undo how big a part he was of Manchester City's incredible legacy under Guardiola.”

Will Walker succeed at Burnley?

Walker is now looking forward to a new chapter in his career back in England with Scott Parker's Burnley, but McInerney has raised concerns over the right-back’s reactions and defensive positioning, two aspects of his game that became evident “flaws” last season.

“I think he's desperate to extend his stay at the top,” said McInerney.” Burnley, back in the Premier League, will lean on his experience, that's the idea. I think he’s made it clear multiple times that he wants to get 100 caps for England, that's one of his aims left in his career.

‘Walker’s time at the top might come to a relatively dramatic conclusion’

“I guess he will feel playing in the Premier League week in week out, if everything goes to plan, is his best chance of getting under [Thomas] Tuchel's eye and getting in those England squads regularly.

“I am cautious about how this will go, though. Kyle Walker, more than most, is such an intensely physical player. I know it's unfair to go: ‘Well what happens when his leg goes?’. Walker’s legs weren't everything, but they were a lot. He was an incredible runner, incredible athlete, but he wasn't always the most switched on defensively, probably because he didn't have to be.

“When you've got that absurd pace, you don't have to worry about being three or four yards behind your attacker, because you can catch up to him anyway. What we've seen over the last two years is that he's not reacting anywhere near as fast as he used to, because he's not in the right position in the first place.

“The flaws in his positional game were really highlighted and I think he's trying to lean on [his pace and reactions] still, but he just doesn't have it.

“We've seen people like [Antoine] Semenyo last season just burning him for pace. [Kaoru] Mitoma made him look a bit silly, unfortunately.

“I'm not sure if this will go well for him at Burnley in a team that's going to struggle. I might be wrong. He might step up and relish the challenge. He might enjoy the environment, but I feel that his time at the top might come to a relatively dramatic conclusion here.

“I hope it goes well for him. I don't want to see it go terribly, but I'm not confident at all. I think it might be a tough time at Burnley for him.”

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Written by
Oliver Thomas