Manchester City's Kyle Walker successor must possess the "know-how" to make up for the "pure speed" that the Sky Blues will lose following the defender's move to Burnley, Citizens legend Richard Dunne has told Sports Mole.
Pep Guardiola and co are getting accustomed to life without the Premier League and Champions League-winning defender, who ended his eight-year spell at the Etihad Stadium earlier this summer to sign for Burnley in a £5m deal.
Man City have not signed an out-and-out replacement for the veteran Englishman, although they have been heavily linked with Newcastle United's Tino Livramento, whose potential arrival has been questioned by Stuart Pearce.
The former City boss believes that Livramento may not have the defensive "nous" to replace Walker, whom he also would have kept around for the 2025-26 season in spite of his noticeable decline in performance levels last season.
Asked whether he agreed with his former manager's assessment, Dunne replied: “Kyle Walker has been unbelievable for City. They have struggled to cover for his absence at times.
City must replace Walker's "pure speed" with "know how"
AC Milan's Kyle Walker during his side's Serie A match against Inter Milan, on February 2, 2025
"The pure speed that he's got allows the team to play higher up the field. City need to replace that with a player who has got the know-how.
“When you look at all the experienced players who have won stuff, you do lose a little bit. To lose Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, miss Rodri for most of the season, they were missing those leadership players.
“I can understand that he wants to play more, Kyle Walker, but you can't disagree with Stuart Pearce really! [Burnley] are a side that need to be a little bit smarter out of possession than City. They need to give themselves that chance that they're not getting countered every time they go forward.”
With no new right-back touching down at the Etihad just yet, Guardiola is set to go into the 2025-26 season with the versatile Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis as his two primary options on the right-hand side of defence.
Nunes initially made a name for himself as a midfielder at Sporting Lisbon, but he has slowly adapted to the demands of a right-back role in a Guardiola system, scoring one goal and setting up four more in 19 appearances in that position.
Meanwhile, Lewis is a natural when it comes to playing the inverted full-back role, and Guardiola has already been told that his side can challenge for honours with the two sharing the right-back minutes.
Nunes right-back success "depends" on Guardiola demands
Manchester City's Matheus Nunes on June 26, 2025
Dunne is also confident that Lewis and Nunes can both shine in the position, although what Guardiola expects from the latter will play a part, adding: "I don't think Nunes had the best of seasons and the best of transitions into that position last year.
"There were weaknesses defensively in his game, but looking at the Club World Cup, it seems like he's learning the position, he's getting better. I think Rico Lewis is a really good player, so I think he's certainly capable of playing right-back.
“It just depends on what Pep expects from Nunes, whether it is an all-out defensive performance or an attacking performance, because he'll get so much from him going forward.
"Sometimes you have to sacrifice that little bit of defensive stability in the back line, but it certainly doesn't look like they're on the lookout for a full-on right back who's going to sit back and defend. They want someone who can join in and reach out with their attacking platform."
Dunne also delivered his verdict on Jack Grealish's potential move to Tottenham Hotspur after Sports Mole exclusively revealed that the Lilywhites had submitted an enquiry for the 29-year-old.
Richard Dunne was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of William Hill.
ID:578709:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6618: