Friday 4 October 2019 16:51, UK
Pep Guardiola has challenged Kyle Walker to show England boss Gareth Southgate exactly what he is missing by performing to his full potential for Manchester City.
Walker missed out on England selection for the second consecutive month, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier chosen ahead of the 29-year-old for next week's European Qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
Southgate explained his decision on Thursday, saying Walker "is a slightly more defensive full-back" at City.
Walker has started all of City's seven Premier League matches so far this season, before being an unused substitute in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
New signing Joao Cancelo started in midweek and has made a "step forward", according to Guardiola, but the City boss is still keeping faith in Walker.
"It's a big chance for him to show the manager from England how good he is," Guardiola said.
"In our sporting life it is always about challenges. He has one in front of him to show how good he is in every single game.
"He came as an incredible player and he is still an outstanding player. He is physically strong, fast and we have tried to help him to be a better player.
"He is a player who can do everything, but the national team manager has his opinion and he made a selection.
"Kyle respects it and I respect it. Gareth does what he does for the best of the national team."
When asked about Cancelo, Guardiola added: "In the game against Preston he made a step forward and the last game was really good too.
"He arrived late, not during the pre-season, so he was not there when we are working on things and he needed a bit more time.
"I think it is getting better and he is starting to understand what we want."
