Kyle Walker has acknowledged Kylian Mbappe's extraordinary talent and skills, but has said that he will not roll out the "red carpet" for the attacker in the match between England and France. The national teams will face each other on Saturday, in one of the most exciting quarter-finals of this World Cup. Walker will have the difficult task of marking Mbappe and the "3 Lions" defender has commented on the French striker:
"I understand what I have to do, and that is to stop him (Mbappe). Of course it's easier said than done, but I don't underestimate myself. He is a fantastic player in very good form. It will not be an easy task, but as a professional footballer you have to play against the best and I think he is one of the best, if not the best in the world at the moment."
Walker faced Mbappe in the Champions League when City challenged French champions PSG. Kylian admitted after the challenge that playing opposite Walker was quite challenging. Meanwhile, the English defender added:
"I know he is an elite player, but we are not playing tennis. It is not a solo sport but a group sport. You have to give him respect, but not too much. Yes, it's going to be a tough game, but a team can never match one player...I'm not going to roll out the red carpet for him and expect him to score. We're in a World Cup, it's life or death."
Walker made it clear that England cannot go wrong, focusing on Mbappe, and forgetting the other players in the "turkeys". The City defender said:
"Yes, he (Mbappe) is a weapon in their arsenal, and a very good one, but we cannot underestimate the other players."
