Kyle Walker has insisted he is fit to play in the Champions League final after Manchester City were given an injury scare by the defender.
City are gearing up for the showdown with Inter Milan on Saturday in Istanbul after overcoming rivals Manchester United to claim the FA Cup over the weekend. Pep Guardiola’s side are now one game away from completing an historic Treble, having also won the Premier League for the fifth time in six seasons.
They are brimming with confidence following an imperious run of form in 2023, but victory over United at Wembley on Saturday appeared to have come at a cost. Walker was missing from an open training session on Tuesday after being substituted late on with a back problem in the FA Cup final.
“He had a disturbance in his back,” Guardiola told reporters. “Yesterday, he was not good. Today he was a little bit better. We didn't want to take a risk and we will see in the next days.”
However, Walker struck a very different tone when it was his time to speak to the media. "I'm fine, I'm just getting old!” he joked. “I'm completely fine, it's just an extra day of recovery.
“I played a lot of minutes over the last number of weeks, so the manager said just stay inside and come Saturday you'll be raring to go.
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"I'm fine, the minutes that I've played when everyone else was injured, I was there digging my heels in and getting through it. I won't be missing the Champions League final for anything."
Walker had an impressive game against United, successfully shutting down the threat from Jadon Sancho. The 33-year-old has settled into a new role on the right of a back three, with John Stones operating as a central midfielder when City are in possession.
He has played 38 times across all competitions this season, with his recovery pace a key asset for Guardiola. The England international was named the fastest player in the Premier League this season after clocking a top speed of 37.31km/h.
City will be the firm favourites to win the Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history. Guardiola is aware of the tag and is comfortable with it.
“We are used to it,” he said. “Why should it be more dangerous? Accept the role and go out there knowing the quality of the opponents. We accept what people say, no problem.”
City were beaten by Chelsea in the final back in 2021 but he does not think that experience will play on the minds of his players this time around. “Two years ago we were there but in different situations with Covid. We’re going to try to do our best and we know the final is how you behave in that specific 95 minutes, not history.”
