Kyle Walker has opened up about the uncomfortable conversation he had to have with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola about wanting to leave the Etihad Stadium, Afrosport reports.
The England full-back sealed a loan move to AC Milan last Friday which can become permanent at the end of the season with an option to buy for €5 million.
It could potentially bring to an end Walker’s seven-and-a-half-year stint with City which has produced 17 titles including the historic treble in 2023 and a record four consecutive Premier League titles.
“No, I mean, when I spoke with Pep, it was not a very comfortable conversation with, say, because of the respect that we both have for each other than what we’ve achieved, both at Manchester City, everything that he’s won at Manchester City, I’ve also won,” Kyle Walker said at his official Milan unveiling on Monday.
“And I would like to think that he knows what I bring to the dressing room and the atmosphere that I create. You know, and 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. You know, I don’t want to just win things in one country. I want to come to another country and also, you know, win there as well.”
Where do I have to sign? ✍😉#SempreMilan #DNACMilan pic.twitter.com/lX3If3XzGM
— AC Milan (@acmilan) January 24, 2025
Walker’s move to Milan came as a surprise to many who thought he might have continued his career with City or another club in the Premier League. He however admitted that the opportunity to play for an illustrious club like the Rossoneri was too good to turn down.
“I could have stayed in Manchester. I still had a contract there. And I would have warrant (ed) 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 little bit of a situation where you think, okay, I need to try something different.
“…When I spoke to Zlatan (Ibrahimovic), you know, he made it clear that, you know, they were excited. They wanted to, you know, take me on board and, that made me feel secure. You know, that made me feel, okay, this is the right decision. And, you know, when you just get the gut feeling. That was the gut feeling I had. And hopefully, you know, it’s a positive, an end to the season for me personally, but also more importantly for the team.”
Walker could be in line to make his AC Milan debut in the Derby della Madonnina against Inter Milan at the San Siro on Sunday.
