New Delhi: Kyle Walker recently admitted that his conversation regarding his departure from Manchester City with Pep Guardiola wasn’t “comfortable”. The 34-year-old joined AC Milan on loan until the end of the season with an option to move to the club permanently.
The English defender had made 319 appearances for City and had won 17 trophies with the side. However this season he got just nine Premier League appearances for the side and in early January, the former City skipper told Guardiola that he wanted to move abroad.
Guardiola had insisted that Walker would be “impossible” to replace but ultimately conceded to the defender’s request. Two years ago, Guardiola had managed to convince Walker against a move to Bayern Munich and Walker got the captaincy of his Man City.
Walker admitted during his unveiling in Milan that the kind of respect they had for each other and what they had achieved together at the club, made the conversation “uncomfortable”. The duo’s winning trajectory at the club happens to be similar and Walker hoped that Guardiola understood the impact he had in a dressing room and the vibe he created.
Kyle Walker: “Things at #ManCity weren’t going too well – I wasn’t playing as much football as I wanted to. Hopefully I can play a little bit more football here than I was doing there. It wasn’t a very comfortable conversation with Pep Guardiola…”
pic.twitter.com/yKzHRL1EdA— City Report (@cityreport_) January 27, 2025
The former Tottenham defender noted that at City, the atmosphere with the teammates and support staff was like “family” and he needed to find the same aspect at Milan as well. Walker was also hopeful that with Milan, who are currently placed seventh in Serie A and sixth in the Champions League, he would be able to win titles.
What Kyle Walker expects from his stint at AC Milan
Walker has said that one of the reasons for his decision was obviously his lack of minutes playing and City’s performance in the season. Walker admitted that having a contract with City meant he would have respected it but he wanted challenges in a different country.
The City defender mentioned that his prerogative was going to a big club or else he would have stayed back with City. The Rossoneri were one side Walker admitted he could never have rejected.
At AC Milan, Walker will be donning the no.32 jersey for Milan to honour David Beckham’s stint with the club and even has plans to learn Italian. There are chances he will be making his debut in the Milan derby when Inter Milan visits his new team.
Milan advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic felt Walker was a “great addition” to the side and despite the squad being filled with full-backs, having the City defender was a no-brainer. Ibrahimovic felt that Walker could play centre-back having done so for City and would boost the side’s confidence.
During his unveiling at AC Milan Kyle Walker spoke about his exit from Manchester City, his conversation with Pep Guardiola before his exit and what he hopes to achieve with AC Milan. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
