The deffinisher of Manchester City and England, 34, joined Milan on loan until the end of the season with the option of staying permanently in summer
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Kyle Walker endured an uncomfortable conversation with Pep Guardiola when the defender told the Manchester City manager he wanted to leave the club.
Walker joined the AC Milan on loan for the rest of the season in an agreement that includes an option for permanently in San Siro in summer.
The 34-year-old has been a staple for both City and England over the past seven years, winning 17 trophies at the Etihad after moving from Tottenham for £45m in 2017. But he found himself on the periphery at times this season and requested to leave in order to play more minutes.
During his inauguration in Milan, Walker said: “When I spoke to PEP, it’s not a very comfortable verbal exchange, basically because of the respect we have for each other.
“What he’s won at Manchester City, I’ve won it, too. I like to think he knows what I bring to a dressing room, the atmosphere I create. City was my family – from the cooks to the cleaners, the kit men and physios. I like to think I was liked and helped everyone blend in. But things weren’t going well there and I wasn’t playing enough football. Hopefully I can play a bit more here.”
Had Guardiola rejected his request to leave in January, Walker, who has begun a Premier League adjustment since Manchester United’s defeat in December, said he would have stayed to fight for his place, usurped in recent weeks through his young England teammate Rico Lewis and even Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes.
“It is possible that I would have stayed in Manchester, I would have honored the contract if they had not let me pass because it is me as a person. But it returns to demanding situations that you think,” ok, I want to verify anything different. “
“I’ve spoken to many ex-players who never moved abroad and told me they wished they had. If it hadn’t been a big club I’d have stayed with City. There are only certain clubs you can’t say no to and this was the opportunity I wanted, I had a gut feeling.”
Walker joins international colleagues from England Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in Milan, seventh in series A.
The existing right side of Milan, Emerson Royal, is out for about two months.
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