Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has emerged as an injury doubt for Saturday's Champions League final against Inter Milan.
The 32-year-old started and played for just over 90 minutes in the Citizens' 2-1 victory over rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final last Saturday.
However, Walker was a notable absentee from the club's open training session at City Football Academy on Tuesday afternoon.
Manager Pep Guardiola has since confirmed that Walker is currently dealing with a back problem sustained in the FA Cup final and he will be monitored accordingly leading up to Saturday's showdown in Istanbul.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Guardiola said: "[Walker] had a disturbance in his back. Yesterday he was not good.
"Today he was a little bit better. We didn't want to take a risk and we will see in the next days."
© Reuters
Walker has established himself as a first-team regular under Guardiola for several years and has started 31 of his 38 appearances in all competitions so far this season.
The England international endured a short spell out of the starting lineup earlier this year after Guardiola stated that he was not suited to play in his new system which has seen John Stones thrive in a hybrid midfield role.
However, Walker has since worked his way back into Guardiola's plans and has regularly occupied the right side of a back three, and his electric pace was hugely beneficial when dealing with Vinicius Junior in last month's Champions League semi-final clash with Real Madrid.
The potential absence of Walker on Saturday could see Manuel Akanji switch to the right side of defence and Nathan Ake recalled to start on the left, with Ruben Dias expected to continue in the heart of the back three.
Guardiola has confirmed that his squad will travel to Istanbul on Thursday, and the Catalan boss is feeling relaxed ahead of arguably the biggest match in City's history.
© Reuters
"[In] two days we will travel to Istanbul. It's a dream," said Guardiola. "Two years ago we were there but it's a different circumstance, due to COVID. It's about what you have to do in 95 minutes to be better than the opponent. In one single game, you have to be better.
"I am more than calm. I am so grateful for what the players have done. But finals are completely different. What I will do in the next days is try to understand the game we will play.
"Play as much who we are. But there will be a lot of difficulties. It is not easy to attack the defensive system that they use. We need to be patient. We have to have the right tempo. That is most important thing in this kind of game.
"As the game goes through you can be anxious and that would be a problem. [Inter] are used to controlling games in Italy. They have good patterns everywhere. And we have to defend really well.
"It's a final against a top team and we have to do it. I am confident and so optimistic – but at the same time I cannot deny the difficulty of the opponent. Never have I done that and never in the final of a Champions League."
Man City are seeking to become the first English club since rivals Man United in 1999 to win the treble having already celebrated success in the Premier League and FA Cup.
Oliver Thomas
