While Manchester City’s defence was leaky last season, Kyle Walker knows better than most how brilliant some of the defenders Pep Guardiola has at his disposal are.
John Stones is a prime example, who the Burnley right-back played with for both City and England for nearly a decade.
Ruben Dias, who Guardiola compared to Vincent Kompany has also established his presence as one of the best centre-backs in the world since his move to Manchester City in 2020.
Walker raved about Josko Gvardiol as a defender for whom “the sky’s the limit”, another exceptional centre-back who is plying his trade at the Etihad Stadium.
Kyle Walker says John Stones is better than Rio Ferdinand
Considering Kyle Walker is arguably the greatest right-back England have ever produced, the 35-year-old’s view on his country’s best-ever defenders is worth its weight in gold.
Since joining the Clarets, Walker has lauded Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne when reflecting on his time at Manchester City.
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While ‘blind ranking’ England’s finest defenders in a video with Burnley’s official TikTok account, Walker placing Stones in first place, with Ashley Cole, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell ranked below him.
John Stones and Kyle Walker of Manchester City holding the Premier League trophy.
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
The Manchester City legend said: “Yeah, he’s got to be, number one, super Johnny Stones.”
Rio Ferdinand has already revealed whether John Stones is better than him
Stones will be flattered to be placed above Rio Ferdinand in a list including England greats, with a legend of the game such as his former City teammate Walker paying him a massive compliment.
Ferdinand is one of the best centre-backs in Premier League history.
Rio Ferdinand with a concerned look on his face before Manchester City vs BSC Young Boys
Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images
However, Rio Ferdinand believes Stones trumps him as he chose the former Everton defender over himself while picking an England XI from the mid-2000s England squad to present day.
As a result, Walker’s claim should not be considered controversial after Ferdinand’s admission.