Marcus Rashford has named Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker as the toughest opponent he has faced during his career.
Walker joined City from Tottenham in a £50m deal in 2017, and since then has developed into arguably the best right-back in the world.
The 33-year-old has played a key role in City’s success under Pep Guardiola, making over 250 appearances and winning five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and one Champions League along the way.
Walker’s physical abilities and tactical understanding make him a unique player, but he could be about to leave the Etihad Stadium.
The England international has reportedly agreed to join Bayern Munich after turning down an offer of a contract extension from City.
With one year remaining on Walker’s current deal, City are expected to conduct talks with the Bundesliga champions over the coming week.
It has been widely reported that Bayern will pay around £13m for Walker, a fee that seems a little low when you consider how highly the defender is among his peers.
Rashford names Walker as toughest opponent
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is just one elite-level player who knows just how good Walker is.
When asked by Gary Neville on The Overlap who the toughest defender he’s faced in his career is, Rashford replied: “I’d probably say Kyle Walker.
“His physical capabilities are unbelievable, so it’s always going to be a tough day [facing him].
“You have to try and catch him off guard or in the wrong position, but even then he can recover, so it’s always a difficult game against him.”
Neville then asked Rashford how best to cope when facing a defender as accomplished as Walker.
“Yeah, try and drift into places where he can’t drift or he has to pass me on, and then when he does pass me on just pull back a little bit away from the defensive midfielder or whoever it is.”
