AL WAKRAH, Qatar — Kyle Walker said he will not “roll out a red carpet” for Kylian Mbappe and added the in-form France forward must not stand in England‘s way of reaching a World Cup semifinal.
The Manchester City defender is set to be handed the responsibility of stopping Mbappe, who is the top scorer in Qatar after taking his tally in the tournament to five goals with a brace in Les Blues’ round-of-16 win over Poland.
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Walker has faced Mbappe three times at club level for City against Paris Saint-Germain — winning twice and losing once — and speaking during a news conference at England’s training base in Al Wakrah on Wednesday, he said: “I understand what I need to do and that is obviously to stop him. It is probably easier said than done but I don’t underestimate myself.
“I’ve played him before and I’ve come up against a lot of great players in my time playing for England, Man City and the clubs that I played for.
