Tottenham failed to replace Kyle Walker-Peters, he’s now compared to Phillip Lahm and has England chance with Gareth Southgate

When he began to through the ranks at Tottenham, Kyle Walker-Peters first received attention because he had a similar name rival Spurs right-back, Kyle Walker.

Since the north Londoners sold him to Southampton two years ago, the defender has caught the eye due to his form on the pitch – even beating his namesake and former teammate to an England call-up.

And, whilst many talk about Tottenham‘s struggles to replace Walker, they’ve also had trouble finding a Walker-Peters replacement, who was all-but swapped for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in 2020.

The likes of Serge Aurier, Emerson Royal, and Matt Doherty have all been used on the right-hand side of Spurs’ defence since the Englishman departed, with varying levels of success.

But none of them have impressed as much as Walker-Peters has on the south coast in that time, where he has shown his ability and versatility.

So much so, that his Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl compared him to one of the greatest defenders of all time. No pressure.

“Kyle is an unbelievably smart footballer with a super football intelligence,” the Southampton boss told the Daily Echo last month. “He plays left-back, right-back.

“He reminds me a little bit of Philipp Lahm, I must say, because he is so good on the ball, he always has good decisions. He can run and makes nearly no mistakes.”

Gareth Southgate called Walker-Peters up to the England squad for the first time this week, where he could make his Three Lions debut against either Switzerland or Ivory Coast.

Where he’ll play remains to be seen, however, and his adaptability could see him become a key part of Southgate’s England team – just as Lahm was for Germany for over a decade.

“It is always nice to be compared to top, top footballers,” the defender said.

“Yes, I think that versatility is something I’ve had from when I was young. I’ve played in midfield, left-back and right-back.

“Hopefully, I can be England’s Philipp Lahm! There’s a long way to go until I can do that so I just want to do well this week and see what happens.”