Recency bias could wildly skew overall perceptions of Kyle Walker’s glittering eight years at Manchester City. He was the captain who upped and left midway through last season, when the chips were down and criticism of his own performances was plentiful.
In his final game for the club, Walker refused to take the armband when entering as a substitute. It did not end well and, from a footballing perspective, that is an eternal shame. The veteran is expecting a low-key return to the Etihad Stadium with Burnley on Saturday.
The second campaign of Walker’s captaincy could not have gone any worse yet his first is perhaps somewhat underrated.