Kyle Walker opens up on ‘uncomfortable’ conversation with Pep Guardiola over Manchester City exit request | OneFootball

Manchester City’s former club captain Kyle Walker has offered insight into the nature of his conversation with manager Pep Guardiola over leaving the club this month.

The 34-year-old Premier League veteran shocked many within the game by requesting an immediate exit from the Etihad Stadium midway through a challenging campaign for both himself and the wider Manchester City squad.

Having requested to explore his options outside of English football during an honest conversation with Director of Football at the Etihad Stadium, Txiki Begiristain, a number of options quickly emerged for the player and his representatives.

While Saudi Arabia have long been admirers of Walker’s abilities within the game, and Major League Soccer often being viewed as a destination for players at the tail-end of their careers, Kyle Walker had a clear determination to remain at the very summit of European football.

And as such, an agreement was thrashed out with Italian giants AC Milan, who secured the services of the long-standing Premier League right-back on-loan until the end of the season, at which point they will have the option to make that move permanent for around €5 million.

Speaking during his unveiling event as an Milan player, alongside senior advisor to the club Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kyle Walker offered insight into the process that went in to leaving the Etihad Stadium after seven-and-a-half years at Manchester City.

“I could’ve stayed at Manchester City, I still had a contract, and I would’ve warrant that contract if they wouldn’t let me leave. That’s just me as a person,” Walker admitted to reporters in the Italian capital over the weekend.

“But it comes down to challenges in life; sometimes you find yourself in a little bit of a situation where you think, ‘I need to try something different’. I’ve spoke to many players, ex-players, that have not really moved abroad in a different league to the Premier League, and they’ve kind of said to me, ‘I wish I’d experienced it’.

“Now, if I wasn’t going to a big club, I don’t think I would’ve done it. I think I would’ve stayed in the Premier League, stayed at Manchester City and continued my career there.

“But when a club like this comes knocking on the door for you, I think there’s only certain clubs in the world you can kind of not say no to. And this was the opportunity that I wanted.”

Offering further insight into the reasoning behind his decision to leave Manchester City, Walker admitted that as part of his decision, an ‘uncomfortable’ conversation was held with manager Pep Guardiola.

“Things at Manchester City weren’t going too well, I wasn’t playing enough football of what I wanted to. So a reason for me wanting to come and play for this great club was that I hopefully can play a little more football than what I was doing there,” Walker said.

“And I want to win things. When I spoke with Pep [Guardiola], it wasn’t a very comfortable conversation we’ll say, because of the respect we both have for each other, what we’ve achieved at Manchester City – everything he’s won at Manchester City, I’ve also won.

“And I would like to think that he knows what I bring to the dressing room and that atmosphere that I create.”

Pep Guardiola himself has not commented on the matter with the subject of Walker’s conversation with the Manchester City manager not put to him during any of his recent press conferences this week.