Manchester City are in the midst of another race to win the Premier League title.
The Blues currently find themselves second in the league table, five points behind Liverpool with 11 matches played.
With seven wins, two draws and two defeats under their belt, City have scored 22 goals but conceded 13 along the way, keeping just two clean sheets in the process.
Now that Pep Guardiola’s side are set to resume their domestic campaign after the latest international break, a pundit and former Premier League star – who knows all about winning titles – has put a dark cloud over one particular figure in City’s squad.
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Gary Neville questions Kyle Walker after shaky Man City season
In a recent edition of Stick To Football, Gary Neville and the rest of the panel were discussing how players navigate their way through the latter stages of their playing careers once they get past their peak.
This then led to the former Manchester United right-back sharing his thoughts on Kyle Walker and his current situation.
He said: “It’s more of a problem for a right-back. You can look at Kyle in the last few weeks and think Kyle looks a bit different compared to what he has in previous seasons.
“In terms of he has been lightning quick and all of a sudden you think there is balls being played inside him, like the Bournemouth game.
“Kyle’s saviour could be what he has done in England recently. If he can play right of a back three or find a club [where he can do that]. He can use the ball. He’s not Trent Alexander-Arnold or Reece James but he can feed.”
Walker has looked vulnerable at times this season
This season has seen the 34-year-old, who City paid £50m to sign back in 2017, start just five of the nine league matches he’s appeared in.
Earlier this month, Troy Deeney said Walker was “dominated” and “bodied” by Antoine Semenyo during City’s 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth.
In fact, not only did the Cherries attacker get on the scoresheet, but Semenyo also completed more take-ons than any other player in the Premier League across that weekend, not showing Walker in a good light on that particular occasion.
Prior to that, Walker discussed being outpaced by Adama Traore during City’s 3-2 win over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium, saying this on the subject.
He said: “I just base myself on that I’m quick, I thought that I had him, it’s not an excuse, he beat me fair and square, but I’m going to remember it.
“My arm should have come across but, you know, when I start running backwards [towards goal], nine times out of 10 people just stop, but he obviously backs himself so much, just like I do, he’s thought, ‘I can actually catch this.’
“And next minute he’s actually in front of me and I’ve tried to give him the arm to try to claw a little bit back, he’s that strong. From what I’ve seen he could be up there with me.”
Now that Neville has suggested that Walker could be better off occupying a centre-back role on a more consistent basis, it’ll be interesting to see if Guardiola feels the same way.
