Man City news: Pundit suggests ‘perfect’ Kyle Walker development as ‘big’ claim issued
Noel Whelan has claimed Man City star Kyle Walker has the “perfect scenario” to return to the England starting lineup against Wales on Tuesday (29 November).
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the 32-year-old must rebuild his match sharpness if he is to play a “big role” in the latter stages of the World Cup.
Kieran Trippier played 90 minutes at right-back as England played out a stale 0-0 draw against the United States on Friday (25 November).
Walker, who is yet to play a minute at the finals, has declared himself fully fit after recovering from groin surgery in early October.
The 70-cap right-back was first choice for the Three Lions at the European Championships in 2016 and 2021, as well as in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Gareth Southgate has also used Walker as part a three-man defence alongside Harry Maguire and John Stones in the last two major tournaments.
Whelan urged the Three Lions boss to shuffle the pack against Wales after a disappointing draw with the USA.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “I think there’ll be some changes after that performance.
“It would be silly of Gareth if he doesn’t freshen things up as we look to win this group.
“That gives Walker the perfect scenario to come into the side.
“He’s got to build up his match sharpness again if he’s going to play a big role in the knockout stage.
“With the players we have on the bench, we’ve got the luxury of keeping that level of quality no matter what line-up we put out.”
In other news, pundit digs at Jack Grealish after “devastating” Man City source news – “he’s got to accept it”.