Manchester City have already embarked on their squad rebuild, bringing in a host of exciting new players and preparing to let some of the old guard go.
Kevin De Bruyne is set to leave Manchester City this summer, while the likes of Ederson and Bernardo Silva also face uncertain futures.
Meanwhile, the likes of Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez have all joined the club in recent months.
Now, Theo Walcott has sung the praises of a Manchester City player he has backed to be key to “develop the next stage of that generation”.
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Theo Walcott backs Josko Gvardiol to be key to bringing through Manchester City’s next generation
Walcott was on the Premier League’s latest Rising Stars show on YouTube, in which the panel talked about the league’s best young defenders.
Josko Gvardiol was discussed, and Walcott said the City powerhouse has impressed and surprised him.
“He’s a better finisher than some of these forwards,” he said of Gvardiol, who thrilled City fans against Wolves.
“You talk about composure, you have to have that now as a centre-back and you have to have that in a Man City team with Guardiola otherwise you’re not going to play.
And I just think, he’s surprised me, he really has, especially the inverted full-backs, it’s one of those where you just don’t know what you’re going to get to be honest.
But look, he’s so confident, he’s made that position his own, he really has indeed, a lot of players don’t really get too much success against him.
“So yeah, he’s a player that – actually, probably check his age as well!
“We talk about players who are comfortable in a lot of positions, he can play in any of those positions.
“I think he’s key for Man City to develop the next stage of that generation as well because they’re in a rebuild and he’s a big part of that rebuild.”
Pep Guardiola’s plan for Josko Gvardiol next season
Gvardiol has impressed at Man City this season playing at both left-back and as a centre-back.
Man City fans called for Gvardiol to regularly play at centre-back ahead of the Manchester derby at the start of April.
And since the emergence of Nico O’Reilly, Guardiola has only used the 23-year-old in that position, in which he has thrived alongside Ruben Dias.
According to journalist Simon Bajkowski, there is a strong chance Guardiola will keep the Gvardiol-Dias partnership heading into next season.
“There is undeniably a quality to the Gvardiol-Dias partnership that may be hard to beat with any other combination,” Bajkowski wrote.
“Guardiola likes his defenders to be fluid, able to play multiple positions so that he can adapt for whatever opposition they face.
“At the same time, he has not been averse to sticking with the same central partnership if he thinks it is what the team needs.
“Akanji is already back in the matchday squads and the others will look to follow, so there is a good chance the partnership gets broken up before the end of the season.
“What City will have to work out is whether Gvardiol could yet oust his teammates and keep the centre-back role that he looks most comfortable in.”
