Former striker turned pundit Tony Cascarino says Manchester City fullback Kyle Walker must have been surprised by how easily he managed to deal with Eden Hazard in the Champions League clash yesterday evening.

The former Chelsea winger has struggled for form and fitness since moving to Real Madrid for £100m last summer, and it turned out to be an easy night for Walker. Cascarino, though, can’t believe how poorly his opposite number played:

“Kyle Walker must’ve been thinking, ‘Is this the same player I faced at Chelsea? He’s a brilliant player, but he’s paid the price for turning up at Madrid for a big fee and not taking it seriously. He does switch off every now and again. As good and as great as he can be, he does down tools every so often.”

Cascarino is downplaying Walker’s performance quite a bit. Not only did he keep Hazard quiet but he was a major threat in the final third as well, with a number of forward runs which troubled Real.

The 30-year-old has certainly turned stepped his game, especially since the restart. Despite his position being under threat at the start of the season, after the arrival of Joao Cancelo from Juventus, he has seen off the competition and firmly re-established himself as City’s first-choice right-back.