Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has hinted that Kyle Walker may have a part to play in the upcoming Champions League match against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Walker has been absent from Man City’s lineup since sustaining a hamstring injury while representing England in a friendly against Brazil last month.
Consequently, Walker was unable to participate in Premier League matches against Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace. He also missed the first leg of Man City’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, which ended in a 3-3 draw.
Although the 33-year-old returned to the matchday squad for the team’s 5-1 victory over Luton Town on Saturday, he remained on the bench for the entire duration of the game.
Guardiola has indicated that Walker might be included in the squad to face Real Madrid, but he has yet to make a final decision on whether Walker will start in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
“He feels much better but he was injured, so now we will see in the next few days,” Guardiola told reporters when asked about Walker’s chances of starting against Real Madrid in Saturday’s post-match press conference.
“But he’s good, he feels good. Maybe he can help with minutes because it’s a ‘final’, but I don’t want to lose him for a long time if he gets injured. He will train a bit more now and we will decide.
“I know how important Kyle is against the players from Real Madrid. But he was not in Madrid and Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol, John Stones and Ruben Dias played incredibly well. We will see.”
Guardiola will be relying on Walker’s speed and expertise to counter the offensive danger posed by Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid. Walker, who is an integral part of the Manchester City team, has featured in 38 matches across various competitions this season.