Man City sent Tino Livramento transfer warning as Kyle Walker, Joe Hart comparison made

Former Manchester City defender and manager Stuart Pearce has questioned whether Newcastle United's Tino Livramento has the defensive "nous" to fill Kyle Walker's boots at the Etihad.

Walker ended a golden eight-year spell under Pep Guardiola earlier this summer, joining newly-promoted Burnley in a deal worth up to £5m, and the Sky Blues are yet to sign a direct replacement for the England international.

Magpies defender Livramento is one right-back who has been persistently linked with a move, though, and it was reported over the weekend that Man City could soon make a 'significant offer' for the former Chelsea starlet.

However, speaking exclusively to Sports Mole, Pearce expressed slight concern over the defensive side of Livramento's game and revealed that he would have kept Walker for the 2025-26 season if he was Man City manager.

“The beauty of Kyle Walker, if you're doing a direct comparison, Kyle could defend one-on-one, and he was nigh-on impossible to get past," Pearce said. "Livramento's good going forward; I'm not sure defensively that he's got the nous of Kyle Walker.

Pearce: 'I would have kept Walker at Man City for next season'

“I worked with Kyle as a young man; he matured, got better and better and understood the game the older he got. [Livramento and Daniel Munoz] are not, for me, out-and-out, top-quality defensive right-backs that can offer something going forward as well, like Kyle Walker did.

“It's very difficult to replace someone like Kyle Walker. I'd have held on to Kyle for at least another year. Very athletic, even at his age. It surprised me a little bit that he went to Burnley, but it's brilliant recruitment from them. But I don't see any of them as real top-quality right-backs to go on and be good enough and strong enough to win the Champions League with.”

Walker was a stalwart of the Citizens XI for seven seasons, playing a critical role in their era of Premier League dominance and Champions League success in 2023, despite already being well into his 30s.

However, the former Tottenham Hotspur man came under heavy criticism for a noticeable decline in performance levels during the first half of the 2024-25 season, before being shipped out on loan to AC Milan for the remainder of the campaign.

Walker made 16 appearances for the Rossoneri in all competitions, but he also struggled with injury and illness, failed to register a goal or assist and did not do enough to earn a permanent move to San Siro.

Pearce makes Joe Hart and Walker comparison after Burnley transfer

Nevertheless, while Pearce still believes that Walker is Man City material, he also reflected on when he thought the club moved on from Joe Hart too early, before his successor Ederson excelled in between the posts.

“We only see things from the outside," Pearce added. "I'm going to argue against myself here a little bit; when Joe Hart was moved on from Manchester City, I thought that's too premature. Joe's never let the team down.

“Then all of a sudden, we see the goalkeeper that comes in to follow Joe, and you think, wow. You've got to trust the manager. They work with the players on a daily basis.

“From the outside, I still feel as though Kyle Walker has probably got something to offer. But I don't know how much they're juggling the financial bill, these wages, moving them on. All of those things come into practice, and they've got arguably the best manager in the world there, so if he makes a decision, none of us can argue against it.”

City are currently preparing to go into the 2025-26 season with Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis as their right-back options, but Guardiola has been told that his side are "more than capable" of challenging for trophies with the pair sharing minutes in defence.

> Click here to listen to Pearce's full answer on Livramento and Walker

Stuart Pearce was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of 888Sport.