Former Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has admitted he should have stuck by his former teammates amidst a difficult run on the pitch over leaving on loan in January.Walker lost his place in the Ma...
Former Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has admitted he should have stuck by his former teammates amidst a difficult run on the pitch over leaving on loan in January.
Walker lost his place in the Manchester City starting XI in the closing months of 2024 after a series of horrific displays that saw Pep Guardiola trust Matheus Nunes on the right side of a defence that succumbed to a personnel crisis near the New Year.
The 35-year-old was made Manchester City captain in 2023 upon the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona as Guardiola pleaded Walker to rebuff an eye-watering offer from Bayern Munich to sign a new deal at the Etihad Stadium.
Walker took the armband and led Manchester City to a fourth successive Premier League title in the following season, though his performances gradually deteriorated – albeit understandably – owing to his age in his final few seasons in Manchester.
The England international has been one of Guardiola’s best signings at the Etihad Stadium and consistently playing a focal part in Manchester City’s domestic and European success since their record-breaking 2017-18 campaign.
However, Walker surpassed his prime just after the treble-winning season and last fall, the Sheffield-born defender looked a calamitous presence in a backline of a side that appeared a shadow of their title-winning selves.
Walker lost his place in the starting XI and sought exile in Italy as he joined AC Milan on a six-month loan deal with an option to buy – midway through his second season as Manchester City captain – a decision that just could not have gone down well with the former Tottenham star’s teammates at City at the time.
In an interview with Sky Sports this week, Walker has looked back at his controversial decision to join AC Milan in January. “Should I have left and gone on loan to AC Milan? I was club captain – and you’re first in line when things are not going really well,” he said.
“At that time, should I have left? Looking back now, probably no. I should have stood by my (Manchester City) team-mates, next to friends and people I class as family. But for the first time, probably in my career, I was selfish and thought about myself and I wanted to play.
“I don’t see it as a bad reason but I wasn’t happy sitting on the bench and getting a game here, there. I felt I still had a point to prove I could still play at a high level. When a club like AC Milan comes I didn’t think I could turn them down.
“When I came back in the summer, I had time to reflect. I don’t regret it as I always wanted to play abroad and experience that. I’m glad I did, but I probably could have done a bit better.”
Walker joined Burnley on a permanent deal in the summer after Manchester City executives – led by newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana – told the defender he was not part of their plans for the future.
Category: General Sports
