Guardiola a friend as well as a boss, says Walker

Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker is enjoying the close relationship he has with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

Kyle Walker has hailed the personable approach taken by Pep Guardiola, describing the Manchester City manager as a friend as well as a boss.

England right-back Walker joined City from Tottenham in the close-season and will end his debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium with Premier League and EFL Cup winners' medals.

Walker has enjoyed a fine season and earned a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on Wednesday, and the 27-year-old says his form can be attributed to the atmosphere created at City by Guardiola.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: "If you didn't believe you was doing something wrong, or you could do this differently, he'd be quite open to you knocking on his door and having a coffee, he always says 'come and have a coffee with me, we'll get the computer and we'll go through it'. So, that's how it's quite open, he's very approachable. 

"He texted me the other day because I beat him in the long drive competition in golf. Something like that I've never really had before [with a manager], where I've got a connection with someone that we can just exchange text messages. 

"It's nothing like 'oh, he's a teacher's pet' or anything. It's just like he's a friend. He's the manager, but he is a friend as well.

"I'm getting old now, I'm 28 this year, I've got three kids. I like to think I'm a grown-up but it's just nice you can have a civil conversation with your boss, you're both on the same page and you've had a text not about football, just about golf."