Gary Neville has suggested that one Manchester City player needs to be deployed in a completely new position in the Euros.
City have more players at the current tournament in Germany than any other side in the Premier League.
Specifically, 14 members of Pep Guardiola’s squad are now representing their countries in the latest European Championship.
With one round of group fixtures now completed, Neville has dropped an interesting suggestion about a tactical move he’d make concerning one particular City player.
Gary Neville thinks Kyle Walker should be playing in a different position for England
While reflecting on England’s 1-0 win over Serbia in the latest Overlap newsletter, Neville said this on the subject of Kyle Walker potentially adopting a new role in Gareth Southgate’s side.
He said: “And despite having said that [Trent] Alexander-Arnold may drop out of midfield, I feel the same about him.
“We need to find a way to use him. Which is why, right now with Luke Shaw injured, I would ask Kyle Walker to play left back and Alexander Arnold at right back.”
Neville doesn’t have the managerial credentials to be giving Southgate tips on how to set England up
In Sunday’s win over Serbia, the City captain featured in his usual right-back role, with Kieran Trippier playing as a left-back and Alexander-Arnold being deployed in midfield.
At the age of 34, Walker has racked up 612 senior club appearances as well as 84 senior games for England.
Out of all those games, the Englishman, who City paid £50m to sign back in 2017, has never played as a left-back.
Interestingly, Neville’s former Manchester United teammate, Rio Ferdinand, recently suggested that the City star is a better right-back than Neville was.
Bearing in mind how Neville had a disastrous period in charge of Valencia and was part of the England coaching staff when the Three Lions were knocked out of the 2014 World Cup in the group stage, we feel reluctant to take on board his suggestion of playing Walker in a role he’s never played before seriously.