Kyle Walker 'fine' ahead of Champions League final after missing Man City training: 'I'm just getting old'

Walker missed training on Tuesday with a back issue

Kyle Walker has moved to ease concerns over his injury status ahead of the Champions League final, insisting he is fine after sitting out Manchester City's training session on Tuesday with a back issue. Walker was substituted in the closing stages of the FA Cup final win over Manchester United on Saturday and City's hopes of completing a treble would doubtless be aided by having the England international available to him.

"He has had a disturbance in his back," said Pep Guardiola at a press conference ahead of Saturday's final. "Yesterday he was not good, today he was a little bit better but we didn't want to take any risks. We will see what happens in the next days."

However, speaking to Sky Sports Walker offered an altogether more optimistic assessment of his fitness levels. "I'm fine, I'm just getting old!" he joked. "No, I'm completely fine. It's just an extra day of recovery."

Walker's involvement in media sessions would suggest that City are still hopeful he can play some part in the final but opponents Inter would certainly welcome having to play against even a less fully fit version of the 33 year old.

After struggling for game time earlier this year, Walker started 12 of City's final 14 matches of the campaign and excelled in the biggest moments, notably shackling Vinicius Junior in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal. Guardiola has on occasion made use of a four center back lineup and shuffling Manuel Akanji or John Stones to right back would be the most likely alternative in the unlikely event that Walker did not recover. Both of them have the defensive nous to deal with one vs. one situations as well as their team mate but perhaps lack the burst of speed that Walker has.

If, as appears likely, the right back is available then Guardiola is on course to have a fully fit squad available to him to make the trip to Istanbul. His players could hardly approach the club's second Champions League final in better circumstances with confidence stratospheric in a squad that has lost only one game since February 5, away to Brentford on the final day of the Premier League season when the title was already secured.

Inter, however, are in a rich vein of form of their own having won 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions. Guardiola insisted there was no room for complacency in his squad before the final.

"It is a final against a top team and we have to do it," said the City manager. "We are confident, I'm so optimistic, but at the same time I cannot deny the quality of the opponent. I have never done that and especially not in the final of the Champions League."