'I never thought Parker would be a manager': Kyle Walker on working under former teammate Scott Parker
The latest Burnley FC news as Kyle Walker reflects on Scott Parker’s influence as manager.
Kyle Walker has known the Burnley manager Scott Parker for a long time, having played alongside him at Tottenham over a decade ago.
The decorated England international has spoken highly of his new Burnley boss and says “a lot of the lads see him as a legend.” Walker signed for the club in the summer transfer window in a surprise move that was seen as a big coup for the newly promoted Clarets.
The 35-year-old right-back is considered among the best that the country has ever produced in his position and one of the best in the world in his prime. He has won the Premier League six times, the Champions League, the FA Cup twice and four League Cups during a trophy-laden spell at Manchester City.
He fell out of favour under Pep Guardiola last term and moved to AC Milan on loan, where he didn’t impress too highly and eventually moved to Premier League newcomers Burnley, looking to regain form and play regular football so he can make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad in the summer.
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Walker has played under some of the world's best managers, but did not think Parker would become such a highly-regarded manager during his playing days.
“Knowing Scott as a player, would I have thought he would become a manager? No,” Walker told Sky Sports. “I thought he was more of a player that went about his work very quietly, he did the things that people didn’t want to do and he didn’t get the credit for doing what he did.
“As much as he was a leader, he was a quiet leader by his actions rather than his voice, so for him to then show how he holds a room now, gives his team talks and gives across the tactical side of the game.”
Parker praised Walker and said he has been impressed with how he’s settled into his first few months at Turf Moor.
“He's been massive for us,” Parker said. “With both his experience and just his quality as well. “When we speak about Kyle, we always seem to revert back to his experience, but his quality is something we’ve all seen in a real short period of time, too. “The biggest compliment I can pay to Kyle is his reaction to being in a different environment, with a different way of playing and what he's probably been used to.”
When speaking about his new boss, the former Tottenham defender said a lot of his fellow players see Parker as a “legend” and discussed how it’s changed since playing with him.
“It surprised me how good he is at talking,” Walker said. “Obviously, that’s come with learning his trade in the Under-21s at Tottenham, at Fulham, Bournemouth and in Belgium, getting older and a lot of the lads look up to him as a legend. “He holds a room very well, but from playing with him to now, it is a little bit different.”