Kyle Walker plays with Harry Kane and Erling Haaland – Kevin De Bruyne is the best all-round but David Silva and forgotten Spurs ace are best

25/03/2024 13:52

Kyle Walker believes David Silva and Mousa Dembele as two of the greatest stars he has played with.

The Manchester City full-back has starred alongside some of the best names in the business, including Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, while he calls Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham teammates.

At Tottenham, Bale scored 26 goals and assisted 14 others during the 2012/13 season, and Walker says that is the best individual campaign he has seen.

But he couldn’t get away from the class and grace shown by Silva, his former City teammate and Dembele whom he played with at Tottenham.

On Silva, he told told Rio Ferdinand on Vibe with FIVE: “You pass him a bad ball and he makes it look like a good ball – he makes you look better,” Walker said. “David was so good. All-rounder, Kevin, but David individually.

“David or, I’ve said Mousa Dembele countless times. He’s a scandal. The only thing Dembele didn’t have was assists and goals, but he had stupid talent – it shouldn’t have been allowed.”

Walker was then asked if Dembele would be able to play in City’s current side, and he emphatically said: “One million per cent.”

The duo made 139 appearances together for Spurs, with both key in their Premier League title challenges in 2016 and 2017.

After 249 appearances for the north London club, Dembele left for Chinese side Guangzhou City FC in January 2019 but he’s not the first person to highlight Dembele’s incredible talent.

Kane and Mauricio Pochettino, who managed him at Spurs, have both singled him out for praise, while Jermaine Jenas referred to him as a ‘vacuum’ for sucking in the pressure and then releasing the ball at the perfect time.

Walker, meanwhile, joined Silva at City in 2017 and has enjoyed unprecedented success under Pep Guardiola.

They featured 103 times together across three years, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup.

Following an ACL injury, Silva announced his retirement from football last July and is considered one of the greatest players in City’s history.

Walker is now getting to play with and against the next generation of talent like Bellingham with England and Phil Foden at both club and international level.

There may be concerns over his fitness after he came off injured for England against Brazil on Saturday with Arsenal next up for City in the Premier League title race.