Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker has claimed that Liverpool used to have a forward who used to give him a tough time.
Kyle Walker has revealed that the two best players he has ever come up against in his career are Neymar and Eden Hazard — due to their improvisation and unpredictability as wingers.
The 34-year-old also disclosed that when he was at Tottenham, he struggled to play against Alvaro Negredo when his partnership with Sergio Aguero was at its very best at City.
Walker says former Liverpool speedster used to give him nightmares
Another forward who Kyle Walker has admitted he did not enjoy going toe-to-toe against is Sadio Mane.
On BBC’s You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker, he said: “Sadio Mane was a nightmare for me. But he was more raw. He had certain movements that he would do. I think he was playing in a very, very good Liverpool side. Him, [Mohamed] Salah, [Roberto] Firmino that was dropping deep.”
The £175,000-a-week man added: “He was good, he was good. Even at Southampton. Ridiculous player, that’s why you go to Liverpool and play for a big squad.”
Mane faced City 21 times across all competitions for Southampton, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, registering 10 goals and one assist.
Sadio Mane used to test Kyle Walker
In our view, if there was a left-winger who has tested Kyle Walker at his absolute peak in his career, it was Sadio Mane.
The Al-Nassr forward had the complete package — the ability to beat defenders, lightning speed, the physical stature to compete in duels and astute movement.
As a result, Mane would always keep Walker on his toes every time Manchester City and Liverpool went toe-to-toe with each other.
In the 2020/2021 season, when the Sky Blues drew 1-1 to the Reds, the Senegalese international ran across the Englishman, forcing him to stick a leg out and concede a needless penalty.
Mohamed Salah went on to convert from the spot before Gabriel Jesus equalised for the hosts at the Etihad Stadium.
But simultaneously, Kyle Walker has also given Sadio Mane difficult games.
It was always a brilliant battle between two world-class players, who pushed each other to the brink for their respective teams.