Man City make the short trip across the city to face Manchester United in the Premier League and Kyle Walker remains a major doubt for this key game.
The right-back has been a constant figure in the first XI this season but he had to come off early during Man City’s midweek win over Club Brugge. He was taken off as a precaution for a foot injury and there’s a chance he could miss the Manchester Derby.
Manager Pep Guardiola has made it clear that Kyle Walker is not yet 100% fit meaning he will go through a late fitness test on Saturday to determine his availability.
“Right now I don’t know, in a few hours maybe. Right now I don’t know,” the manager said when asked about Walker’s fitness in his pre-match press conference.
Guardiola much quieter today in his #mcfc press conference, not least because his microphone didn't appear to be on…Walker fitness still to be assessed and not much else to say
— Simon Bajkowski (@spbajko) November 5, 2021
Who will replace Kyle Walker against Manchester United?
Kyle Walker has played in eight Premier League games this season and according to Fotmob, he has a rating of 7.01 out of 10 this campaign.
So naturally, if he is not available then it will be a big blow for the Man City manager but truth be told, Pep will not be sweating too much(not at least in that role).
If the 31-year-old is not fully fit then Joao Cancelo will shift to the right-back role while Zinchenko will come into the side and play on the left-hand side of defence.
Will Kyle Walker be a big miss on Saturday?
Kyle Walker rarely has a poor game and the fact that Man United will be playing with wing-backs, the City full-backs will have their hands full on Saturday.
But we believe Joao Cancelo can do more than a perfect job at right-back. It’s the left-back role which could be a cause of concern for Pep Guardiola.
Yes, Zinhencko is a pretty solid defender but he’s played only 57 minutes across two Premier League games this season and if Man United manage to turn up the heat then the 24-year-old could be found wanting.
