Manchester City Women’s captain Steph Houghton has hailed Kyle Walker and believes he has ‘absolutely everything’ you’d want in a full-back.
The 33-year-old’s future is still very much up in the air right now.
Walker us a target for Bayern Munich.
And reports have suggested he is keen on that move.
But City have offered Walker a new deal and are hopeful he will sign.
At the moment, the player has just one year left on his current contract. Bayern are looking to poach him and it’s thought he would cost somewhere in the £15 million region.
Many City fans are hoping he doesn’t depart, with Houghton very much a part of that camp too.
Steph Houghton desperate for Kyle Walker to stay at Manchester City
Prior to the game with Atletico Madrid, Walker was a topic of conversation on City’s Matchday Live programme.
City’s defenders were mentioned, as Houghton, Nedum Onuoha and David James reflected on last season’s Treble win.
But Walker came in for special praise from Houghton.
Houghton wants him to stay, and expressed her sympathy about Walker not being picked to start the Champions League final, a decision that is said to have frustrated the player.
She said: “For a full-back to have absolutely everything and to have the speed that he does… there’s no one better than him in the world in my opinion. He’s shown that on numerous occasions. Especially in the Champions League when you’re playing the likes of Vinicius who was so quiet because of Kyle Walker.
“From a player’s perspective, I can understand why he is disappointed. Because you’ve played that well leading up to the Champions League final and you don’t play. We were all thinking why’s he not playing. Then we see him in the warm up and he’s pinging balls with Phil Foden and you’re thinking ‘there’s nothing wrong with him’.
“To be fair he just gets his head down. I want him to stay. He deserves to be at the best club in the world.”
Reports have suggested that Walker has actually already reached a verbal agreement to join Bayenrn.
Man City could suffer if Walker leaves
So it’s still very possible Walker could leave – and what a shame that would be.
The £160,000-a-week man is such a brilliant player and there’s probably no one in the game who can defend like he can, especially in terms of recovery.
He may be 33 but Walker is still at the top of his game.
It is a shame that he perhaps wants to go. Because he was so key for City in those final few months of last season. Not starting the Champions League final was probably a huge disappointment for him.
But he remains so a big player for City, and many will hope – like Houghton – that he stays and rebuffs bayern.
