Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has suggested that defender Kyle Walker will find it difficult to reclaim his place in the team due to his inability to adapt to the current system. Walker, 32, has only started two of the past seven matches, with England teammate John Stones being favoured in an inverted full-back role. Guardiola believes that Walker does not possess the necessary skills to play in this role and has instead praised his speed, which he believes will remain even when Walker is 60 years old.
The defending Premier League champions face Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday, but Walker’s chances of playing are slim due to the absence of Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who both left the club last summer and January respectively. Nathan Ake has been playing regularly at left-back and dropping into the back three, meaning that the right-back is required to push forward, something Stones did effectively against Liverpool last weekend.
Guardiola has offered Walker hope of a return by referring to Ake’s progress, and urged every player in the squad to be ready to play. He believes that no one has a guaranteed spot in the team and that they must earn it by adapting to different shapes and formations. He also stressed that he is not against any of his players and is simply trying to use them in the best way possible.