'I slept like a baby when he played!' - Pep Guardiola hails Kyle Walker as 'one of the greatest' as right-back makes emotional return to Man City with Burnley

Many eyebrows were raised when City paid Tottenham £50m ($66m) to sign Walker in 2017, with Gary Lineker claiming at the time that the player was incapable of putting in successful crosses. Walker proved a massive success, though, helping City swoop to a Premier League record 100 points in his first season as they won the title, defending their crown in his second. Walker made 319 appearances for City and lifted a total of 18 trophies.

Walker was named City captain in the summer of 2023 just after he signed a new contract to ward off interest from Bayern Munich. He skippered the club to a historic fourth consecutive league title but his next campaign was a harrowing ordeal and he left on loan for AC Milan after being dropped by Guardiola following a dramatic fall in his form and City's results. Guardiola referenced how it ended but said it should not change how Walker is viewed by City fans. He said: "Kyle, of course, the last season was tough for everyone, for him, all of us. But I don't judge one behaviour for a short period of time. He was unbelievable."

The City boss praised Walker's ability to stifle opposing forwards with his recovery pace and he said he felt relaxed going into matches knowing that his right-back would be able to take the sting out of most sides. "One of the greatest; in terms of consistency, no injuries, playing every single game, an incredible figure in the locker room," he said. "I slept like a baby knowing he was playing because of how he would control the opposition. In eight years, six Premier Leagues, Champions League, 18 titles, always being there in the good moments and bad moments."

Guardiola revealed that he had no concern about Erling Haaland after his top scorer came off in last week's 1-1 draw with Arsenal with a back injury. The coach said Haaland "is ready" but clarified that Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush were still out. Midfielder Mateo Kovacic, however, could return against Burnley.

Phil Foden has been in resurgent form this season after a disappointing last campaign and will look to build on his excellent performances against Manchester United, Napoli and Huddersfield Town as City take on Burnley on Saturday and then visit Monaco in the Champions League and then take on Brentford before the October international break. Guardiola said of Foden: "He always took responsibility, he won everything since he started playing and training with us when he was 17 or 18. The biggest example was after he played Arsenal, everybody was exhausted and tired because he ran a lot, we parked the bus and so on. But Phil said, 'I want to play again'. It's what happened when he arrived. He wants to play every day and that is a sign that he is ready. We all know what Phil can do but I don't want to put pressure on him. His physical condition is outstanding, his mind is ready and he can play every few days. His game against Huddersfield was really, really good."