Pep Guardiola names Man City's unsung hero as Kevin De Bruyne issues Erling Haaland warning

These are your Manchester City evening headlines for Monday, August 8.

Kyle Walker played his best game for Manchester City against West Ham, according to Pep Guardiola.

Walker, who has been at City since 2017, has been City's first choice right-back for the majority of his time at the Etihad and lined up there once again for the opening day win at the London Stadium. However, in possession, Walker regularly moved inside as an inverted full-back, as did Joao Cancelo from the left.

As a result, City crowded the midfield and were able to free their attackers and unlock the West Ham defence. And Guardiola says Walker's contribution might be his best performance since signing for City, as he praised both of his full-backs for their tactical roles.

Read more from Guardiola on Walker here.

Kevin De Bruyne expects both himself and Manchester City to improve after putting a difficult first game of the season behind them.

City had to endure a few tricky spells at the London Stadium, but confounded West Ham with an innovative strategy and saw their new No.9 find space in the box to earn and then convert a penalty to give them a lead. In the second half, City got a glimpse of a special partnership as De Bruyne broke the line to feed Haaland, who slotted home his second effortlessly.

De Bruyne has enjoyed a restful summer with no major international tournament, and was happy to pick up an assist and a win. Having dragged the Blues over the line in the Premier League with astounding consistency in the second half of last season season, it can only bode well for City that the Belgian has picked up where he left off.

Read more about Kevin De Bruyne here.

READ NEXT: