Pep Guardiola responds to Zlatan Ibrahimovic comments over potential Manchester City transfer | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has piled on the praise for Kyle Walker, who is seemingly on the verge of leaving Manchester City for AC Milan this month.

The 34-year-old submitted a formal request to Manchester City’s Director of Football earlier this month over his hopes of exploring options outside of English football, after a largely torrid time on the pitch during the first-half of the ongoing campaign.

While there has long been widespread speculation that a return to Sheffield United may appeal at the tail-end of Walker’s professional career, and growing interest from Saudi Arabia, a move over to Serie A now appears to be most likely and the player’s preferred destination.

Such a move would also align with the views of Pep Guardiola, who recently told a media conference that he believes the veteran England international can still play at the very highest level, and perhaps for up to another four years.

Speaking over the course of the weekend, Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who is now a senior advisor to AC Milan following his retirement from football – admitted that the club are in the process of ‘checking’ what is possible when it comes to a potential deal for Manchester City’s captain.

“Kyle Walker is a top player, a big leader,” Ibrahimovic told reporters. He continued, “We’re checking what we can do for that deal, yes. We will see.”

Offering his own take on the comments of the former Sweden international striker, Pep Guardiola admitted his belief that Walker can “play anywhere” despite his imminent exit from Manchester City.

“If [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic said that, Ibrahimovic said that. Kyle [Walker] can play anywhere,” Guardiola explained after the club’s 0-6 rout over Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday evening.

Kyle Walker himself has remained entirely silent on the matter since Pep Guardiola revealed the player’s intention to leave this month, but has stayed away from all of Manchester City’s last three matchday squads across competitions.

As for City, they are not expected to urgently seek a direct replacement for Walker in the right-back role this month, instead believing that they have enough cover as things stand, particularly with two new defenders coming into the club.

Abdukodir Khusanov was unveiled as Manchester City’s first signing of the January transfer window on Monday evening, while it is expected that Brazilian talent Vitor Reis will follow on Tuesday.