Sam Allardyce has shared his admiration for one particular Manchester City and what he does on the pitch.
Having taken charge of 541 Premier League games across his managerial career, the 69-year-old has coached and come up against a plethora of top-flight stars.
Now that the latest domestic season has drawn to a close, the focus for many players across Europe has shifted to the upcoming European Championship in Germany.
Across the Premier League, the Manchester club are the most represented side at the tournament, with 14 members of Pep Guardiola’s squad set to take part.
Ahead of the tournament, Allardyce, who has some experience managing England, has shared his thoughts on one specific City star who will be in action for his country over the next few weeks.
Sam Allardyce claims Kyle Walker is a genius footballer
In a recent edition of the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce went through his ideal England starting XI for the upcoming Euros and had this to say about Kyle Walker in particular.
He said: “Kyle Walker is everyone’s cup of tea. The man’s just a genius in terms of what he’s got in his locker, how he plays the game, what an inspiration, I think he is.”
Walker’s longevity makes him one of the best around
City paid £50m to sign the right-back from fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur back in the 2017 summer transfer window.
During his time at the Etihad Stadium, Walker has made 301 appearances across all competitions, scoring six goals, supplying 23 assists and winning six Premier League titles along the way including numerous other domestic and European trophies.
Interestingly, with Allardyce describing the 34-year-old as a genius, this, in some ways, makes it easy to see why Ivan Toney recently said that Walker could become a top manager in the future.
Having enjoyed such longevity in his career and playing such a big role in City’s successes under Guardiola, it comes as no surprise to us that Allardyce is a big admirer of Walker.