“He’s becoming an actor” - Ex-Chelsea defender hits out at Kyle Walker for disappointing act against Rasmus Hojlund in Manchester derby

Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf slammed Manchester City's Kyle Walker for his theatrics in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, December 15. He believes a foreign player would have been criticized heavily by media and fans alike for similar playacting.

Walker tried to get Rasmus Hojlund sent off during the game, albeit unsuccessfully. Leboeuf slammed Walker for the same, and also talked about how he had deteriorated on the pitch as well. He said on ESPNFC:

“A foreign player would have been hammered by the press [if he did what Kyle Walker did during that incident with Hojlund]. I’ve never seen an English player going down like that during my time at Chelsea. It never happened. I’m very disappointed because I rank Walker highly.

"I think he was the best full-back in the world a couple of years ago because of his pace and how clever he was on the pitch. He’s only a shadow of himself now. We don’t see the Kyle Walker we’re so used to seeing. He looks confused, makes silly mistakes, doesn’t run as fast as he used to do. Now on top of all that, he’s becoming an actor.”

Kyle Walker has struggled this season, and Manchester City have been in terrible form with just one win in their last 11 matches across competitions. They were 1-0 up against Manchester United in the 87th minute on Sunday but went on to lose 2-1 as the Red Devils scored twice in the dying embers of the game.

Manchester United legend slams Kyle Walker after 'headbut' incident

Manchester United legend Roy Keane was furious with Kyle Walker after the Manchester City captain went down easily to manipulate the referee during the Manchester derby. He said the Englishman should be embarrassed by his actions, commenting on Sky Sports:

"Yeah, to Walker! You don't mind a bit or this in the game, a bit of argie-bargie, of course. He's obviously been blocked but Walker...of course it's a foul. It's a free-kick and Hojlund's not happy, that's fine. But then he goes over and how can Walker [go down]. Walker must be embarrassed. He must be embarrassed to go down like that - an experienced player. I don't know the guy, but I'm embarrassed for him. It's embarrassing."

Manchester United remain 13th in the Premier League table, while Manchester City have slipped to fifth.