Kyle Walker on Pep Guardiola discussions before leaving Manchester City - 'It was not a very comfortable conversation'
Published 27/01/2025 at 21:56 GMT
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Kyle Walker spoke of the moment he told Pep Guardiola he wanted to leave Manchester City. Walker also stressed that he still had "fire in his belly" upon completing a loan move to AC Milan. The England international, who won six Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League at City, insisted that he remained "hungry" for success and wanted to win silverware in Italy.
Walker still has ‘fire in belly’ to win trophies with ‘big club’ Milan
Video credit: TNT Sports
Kyle Walker opened up about the moment he told Pep Guardiola that he wanted to leave Manchester City, admitting it "was not a very comfortable conversation".
Last week, the 34-year-old joined AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the season, with the Serie A side having an option to buy the England international in the summer.
Walker, a six-time Premier League winner with City, joins a Milan side who feature fellow compatriots Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham.
The defender, who captained City to their fourth successive title last season, spoke about the conversation in which he revealed to Guardiola his desire to leave.
Walker said: "When I spoke with Pep it was not a very comfortable conversation because of the respect that we both have for each other and what we've achieved at Manchester City. Everything that he's won at Manchester City, I've also won.
"I would like to think that he knows what I bring to the dressing room and the atmosphere that I create.
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Kyle Walker, AC Milan
Image credit: Getty Images
"I'm here to play football. I'm here to work with my team-mates. But at Manchester City, it was my family, from the cooks to the cleaner to the kitman to the physios."
On his decision to leave City, he explained: "I could have stayed in Manchester. I still had a contract there. And I would have [respected] that contract if they wouldn't have let me leave. That's just me as a person.
"But I think it comes down to challenges in life. I think sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you think, ‘I need to try something different’.
"And I spoke to many ex-players that had not moved abroad in a different league to the Premier League and they kind of said to me, ‘I wish I had experienced it now’".
'I still have the fire in my belly'
Walker insisted he still had the desire to succeed at Milan.
The full-back, who will wear the No. 32 shirt in honour of David Beckham’s time at the San Siro, said: "I think I'm still hungry. I still have the fire in my belly to go and achieve things and that's the main thing.
"That's why I really want to come here. I don't want to just win things in one country. I want to come to another country and also win there as well."
He continued: "If I wasn't going to a big club I think I would have stayed in the Premier League, stayed at Manchester City and continued my career there.
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"But when a club like this comes knocking on the door for you - I think there's only certain clubs in the world that you can kind of not say no to.
"And this was the opportunity that I wanted. When I spoke to Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] he made it clear that they were excited. They wanted to take me on board and that made me feel secure.
"That made me feel [like] this is the right decision. That was the gut feeling I had and hopefully it's a positive end to the season for me personally."
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