Kyle Walker admits he was beaten ‘fair and square’ by Adama Traore after their race in Manchester City’s win over Fulham.
One of the rarest sights in the Premier League occurred at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month when Traore outpaced Walker during the second half of City’s 3-2 victory against Fulham.
Walker even had a head start on Traore before the Spanish winger raced past City’s captain to go through on goal.
The 34-year-old admits he should have used his arm to block Traore but insists the Fulham midfielder was too strong.
‘I mean Adama Traore would beat me, quite comfortably, I want to address it,’ Walker said on the BBC’s You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker podcast.
‘I just base myself on that I’m quick, I thought that I had him, it’s not an excuse, he beat me fair and square, but I’m going to remember it.
‘My arm should have come across but you know when I start running backwards [towards goal], nine times out of ten people just stop but he obviously backs himself so much, just like I do, he’s thought, ‘I can actually catch this’.
‘And next minute he’s actually in front of me and I’ve tried to give him the arm to try to claw a little bit back, he’s that strong.
‘From what I’ve seen he could be up there with me. [Micky] Van de Ven is so quick, he’s about 6ft 7in and his stride is incredible.
‘It’s not bad in 18 years, first time someone can actually say, probably [Ousmane] Dembele, I used to get that clip all the time when I’ve sprinted to him when we played France away, I sprinted to him and he’s actually already running the other way and everybody’s clipping it, ‘oh my gosh, Kyle Walker just got smoked’.
‘But that’s not a bad reaction for them to be that surprised, I’m obviously doing something right.’
Traore, meanwhile, revealed that he was gifted a box of baby oil after joining Fulham which he uses on his arms to stop defenders holding onto him.
Traore also revealed that he was sent a whole box of baby oil after joining Fulham in order to help stop defenders holding him.
‘After my shoulder injury, the doctor recommended it to me,’ Traore told El Larguero.
‘He told me that they had analysed the images and that they were trying to stop me by grabbing my arm. When he told me about the oil, I thought it was a joke.
‘The first time I used it, the defender saw me and asked me what was wrong with my arm, that it was slipping. Then I came to Fulham and a brand sent me a whole box.’
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