Kyle Walker handed harsh three-game Champions League ban for ‘assault’

Manchester City will be without Kyle Walker for their next three Champions League fixtures after he was sent off for the 'assault' of RB Leipzig's Andre Silva last time out.

The England international defender remains a key figure in Pep Guardiola's plans, but will miss both of their quarter-final legs against Sporting and the first leg should they reach the last eight.

The incident, in which the 31-year-old swiped the legs of his 26-year-old opponent from behind, has since been assessed by Uefa’s control and disciplinary body.

They have handed out the harshest penalty available, a three-game ban, with the official UEFA charge sheet referring to the matter as an "assault".

Although City do have the right to appeal the verdict, the words of Guardiola after the fixture suggest the player will have to sit and wait on the sidelines.

Guardiola said: "I hope he learns from this. It was a red card, definitely."

City have been drawn to face Sporting in the last 16 after finishing top of a group that included PSG, Club Brugge as well as the aforementioned RB Leipzig.

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That draw came after City had been due to take on Villarreal, before UEFA were forced to start again over a mix-up involving Manchester United.

Guardiola has said: "I think that’s fair. It was a mistake. These kinds of things sometimes happen, especially for the players and managers, so sometimes UEFA [can] too.

"It is a mistake, so you have to repeat so there are no suspicions. All the opponents are tough. People say one is better than the other but all of them at this stage are difficult."

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