Man City captain Kyle Walker. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Gary Neville and Roy Keane have labelled Kyle Walker an ’embarrassment’ for his antics in an altercation with Rasmus Hojlund during Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Hojlund reacted angrily at a trip from Walker just before half-time, rushing over to go head-to-head with the Man City captain.
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However, what followed will surely serve as pure humiliation for Walker, who went down in a heap despite Hojlund barely making contact with his head.
KYLE WALKER THAT IS PATHETIC pic.twitter.com/UWwIHHlbul
— Frank??? (fan) (@AmorimEra_) December 15, 2024
Both players were shown a yellow card for the incident by referee Anthony Taylor, but former Man Utd captain Keane believes Walker should have been given an even harsher punishment.
“I would have given a red card to Walker [for the altercation with Hojlund],” a disgusted Keane told Sky Sports (via BBC Sport). “Walker must be embarrassed to go down like that – an experienced player. I don’t know the guy and I’m embarrassed for him.”
Roy Keane slams ’embarrassing’ Kyle Walker
Keane’s former United teammate Neville was commentating on the moment live for Sky Sports and effectively teed up the Irishman with a similar rant.
“It’s poor from Kyle Walker,” said Neville. “He goes down when he realises there might have been contact. I think he will be a little bit embarrassed when he sees that back.”
Both Keane and Neville have a point, with Walker sure to be red-faced when he watches the moment back tonight.
Meanwhile, Hojlund will likely feel a little hard done by given he clearly didn’t go out to hurt Walker, although putting your head toward an opponent is always a risk in the modern game.
Thankfully for the managers, this is only Walker’s second yellow card of this Premier League season, while it’s the first for Danish striker Hojlund.