
There was a time when, following Gary Neville’s international retirement, right-back was a problem position for England. Twelve years on that remains the case, but for altogether different reasons. Whereas once there was no heir to the former Manchester United defender, with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones among those who failed to make the spot their own, Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has a ple...

To understand why Manchester City are in the market for full-backs when they have already spent a large amount on them, it’s useful to look back on how Pep Guardiola, and director of football Txiki Begiristain, operate in the transfer market regardless of the position in question. Back in 2008 when Guardiola took charge of the Barcelona first team, his side contained one of the best players in the...

Sometimes adaptability can be a curse. Kyle Walker now knows that. “In the World Cup I was happy to play anywhere,” he said in September. “Gareth Southgate felt that would help the team so I was happy to sacrifice the chance to prove that I am one of the best right-backs in the world.” Now that he’s relinquished that spot, he’s struggling to win it back. Although Walker started in the empty...