Manchester City defender ABSENT from training ahead of UEFA Champions League Final | OneFootball

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker was absent from Manchester City first-team training on Tuesday, ahead of Saturday’s UEFA Champions League Final.

Pep Guardiola’s squad travel to Turkey on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s UEFA Champions League Final against Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul this weekend.

Manchester City are bidding to lift the European trophy for the first time in the club’s history, with the potential for the Blues to become the first team since Manchester United in 1999 to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.

City won the Premier League title for a third consecutive season last month, and also lifted the FA Cup for the first time since 2019 with a stunning 2-1 victory over local rivals Manchester United at Wembley Stadium last weekend.

Ilkay Gundogan scored twice in North London, netting inside 12 seconds at Wembley Stadium, before restoring the Blues’ lead in the 51st minute after Bruno Fernandes’ equaliser from the penalty spot.

Pep Guardiola’s squad are now preparing for Saturday’s Champions League Final, the club’s first since defeat to Chelsea in Porto two years ago.

City held an open first-team training session on Tuesday afternoon, as the Sky Blues prepare for their 61st and final game of the 2022/23 campaign.

Several players, namely Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji, missed Manchester City’s final two games of the Premier League campaign against Brighton and Brentford.

All three returned to the starting side against United at the weekend, with Guardiola taking a fully fit squad to Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup Final triumph.

However, Kyle Walker, who was replaced in the 95th minute by Aymeric Laporte at Wembley on Saturday, was absent from first-team training on Tuesday, in a potentially worrying blow for Manchester City.

The right-back played a pivotal role in the Blues’ semi-final victory over Real Madrid and has played in 38 games for City this season.

The England international hobbled off late into added time on Saturday, with the extent of the right-backs potential injury currently unknown.

An update on Walker’s fitness is expected at some stage, with the player conducting media duties on Tuesday afternoon and Pep Guardiola also holding a press conference from the City Football Academy.