Man City have ready-made Kyle Walker replacement plan vs Arsenal

Vinicius Jr emphasised how big a blow Kyle Walker's injury could be for Manchester City by calling him the best defender he has faced in his career.

"Every time a player leaves the pitch injured it’s very sad, not only for the player but for all of us who are there on the pitch," the Real Madrid winger said on Saturday. "We want to play against the best, Walker, I always say, he’s the best defender I’ve ever faced and it’s always a very good duel. He respects me a lot and I respect him a lot. Each one defends their side with the greatest will in the world."

Walker himself says he hopes his 'frustrating' injury is not too bad, and City will hope he will not be missing for the Premier League showdown with Arsenal in six days. If he doesn't recover however, as much a blow it will be, Guardiola already has a ready-made plan to replace Walker.

ALSO READ: Man City given exciting glimpse into future amid transfer progress

ALSO READ: 'He killed my confidence' - the players who turned on Pep Guardiola after leaving Man City

That's because Walker found himself out of the City 'strongest XI' last season in the Champions League knockout stages. He started the last-16 first leg away at RB Leipzig but was benched as City scored 10 across the second leg and then the first leg of the quarter-final against Bayern Munich. He came on in the final two minutes of the latter with the tie long since won, and didn't get much longer in the final against Inter Milan.

He started both legs of the semi-final against Real Madrid, successfully nullifying Vinicius as City produced a second-leg masterclass, but the situation in the other knockout games was enough to see him consider a permanent exit in the summer - before u-turning and signing a new