Pep Guardiola has delivered some early Manchester City team news involving Kyle Walker ahead of their upcoming Champions League semi-final clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
The Lowdown: Injury concerns
The 31-year-old has been out of action for almost a month after sustaining a serious ankle injury in the quarter-finals against Atletico Madrid, and the City manager had even admitted that he was unsure whether his right-back would play again this season.
However, in a surprising update, the 52-year-old shared some positive news and confirmed that Walker has stepped up his rehabilitation; and as a result of the progress made, the right-back could have an outside chance of coming into contention for the game at the Bernabeu.
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/man-city-newest-updates/" title="Man City newest updates!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]
The Latest: Walker being monitored
Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Guardiola revealed that the 65-cap England international would be carefully monitored between now and kick-off.
He told the media: “Kyle trained today and he will travel. Tomorrow we will decide - he is three weeks without training but we are happy he is back. We will decide tomorrow.
“We will see with Kyle tomorrow how he is after treatment tonight and tomorrow. Then we will decide.”
The Verdict: A pivotal player
Whether or not Walker is named in the starting XI against Carlo Ancelotti’s outfit on Wednesday, knowing that he is nearing a return to action will come as a huge boost for Man City.
The £22.5m-rated star has been a regular starter under Guardiola this term and is a pivotal player in this City side, having made 30 appearances in all competitions, providing two assists in that time and averaging a pass success rate of 88.9%, as per WhoScored.
Once hailed as “one of the best” by ex-Watford striker Troy Deeney, the sooner that Walker is available for selection again the better, particularly with City having been short on defensive options in recent matches.
In other news… a Sky Sports pundit has claimed that there is ‘no way’ this Man City star will sign a new deal this summer