Former Premier League midfielder Danny Murphy has lavished praise on Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker following the club’s 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The Englishman completed the full 90 minutes against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, coming up against Vinicius Junior as his main attacking opponent.
Despite seeing the Brazilian score the Spanish side’s only goal of the game, the £45m City right-back found himself on the end of some hefty praise from one former Premier League figure.
Murphy praises Walker
Speaking on talkSPORT, Murphy said this about Walker and his performance in midweek.
He said: “He’s the best in the world at defending one-on-one, bar none. I’ve never seen anybody cope with Neymar when he played PSG twice, [Kylian] Mbappe, did it recently in the World Cup, and this is Kyle Walker near the end of his career, he’s done it to Mbappe before.
“Vinicius, he copes with him. Vinicius played well but he scored his goal from central, Kyle had to let him go, you can’t follow him all over the pitch, but his one-on-one duels with him – no problem.
“I can’t think of anyone who can cope with one-on-one defending like Kyle Walker.”
Across the 90 minutes in Madrid, the 32-year-old ended up making more tackles (6) than any other City player, as well as making four clearances and winning eight of the 11 duels he was involved in.
This backs up why Murphy was full of praise for the England international and his defensive attributes.
Looking ahead to the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next week, it’s safe to say that Pep Guardiola and the City fans will be hoping that Walker can put in a similarly strong performance and help his side secure their place in the final.
