With there having been a footballing power shift in Manchester for more than a decade now, Manchester United’s players are often compared to the stalwarts at Manchester City to assess the gulf in class between both sides.
While Manchester City won their fourth Premier League title in a row last season, Manchester United finished in eighth place — which was their lowest-ever finish during their time in the division.
This season, Pep Guardiola’s men are in second place in the league while Erik ten Hag’s side are languishing in 14th place.
It could be argued that the disparity between both sides has never been as stark in the past 11 years than it is currently.
One of the reasons why Manchester United have struggled to compete with City is due to a lack of world-class quality in their squad.
Kyle Walker, for instance, might not be the flashiest player at Manchester City’s disposal.
Jones compares Manchester United defender to Walker
However, the City captain has been the epitome of consistency since he first signed for the club in 2017.
The £50 million man has been an ever-reliable presence for Pep Guardiola — a trait that cannot be associated with a bulk of United’s squad to the club’s perennial underperformance as an institution.
Walker has raised the bar for much of his time at the Etihad Stadium as one of the best full-backs of his generation.
While the 34-year-old has also emerged as a leader.
At Old Trafford, managers have rarely had many, if even one player they can rely on since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013.
However, Phil Jones firmly believes that Luke Shaw brings to this Manchester United side what Kyle Walker has at Manchester City for years.
Jones said on Rio Ferdinand Presents’ YouTube channel: “He’s [Luke Shaw] so powerful going forward, he’s such a good one-v-one defender because he’s so sharp and agile on his feet. He’s almost like that, you know, Kyle Walker gives you that pace at the back.”
“City can play as high as they want, they can play as high as they want, the two centre-halves can be two sixes at times when they’re attacking because they know they’ve always got Kyle’s [Walker] pace to get them out of trouble. Luke almost gives you that at United.”
Kyle Walker has been far more reliable defensively than Luke Shaw
While Shaw is one of England’s best left-backs, he has not offered Manchester United the same level of defensive security that Walker has for Manchester City over the years.
The six-time Premier League winner’s one-of-a-kind pace has meant City have been able to play an extremely high line without a care in the world due to his incredible recovery defending.
Shaw simply has never had the same level of speed that Walker has had from a young age.
As a result, the former Southampton defender has not earned the reputation of being a full-back who can keep some of the best wingers in the world quiet like the decorated right-back has.
Furthermore, Shaw’s proneness to injuries has meant there have not been many spells during his career at Manchester United where he has been able to establish his presence as a world-class defender quite like Walker has.
