Kyle Walker ‘has a big chance to leave Man City’ this summer – with the full-back ‘extremely disappointed’ to be dropped for the Champions League final – as hometown club Sheffield United ‘show interest’
Man City defender Kyle Walker ‘could leave the club this summer’ after being dropped for the Champions League final.
The defender admitted to being ‘disappointed’ after being knocked out of the game against Inter Milan, which City won 1-0 to complete their treble.
He told his teammates ‘my dream is now in your hands’, but was on the pitch before the final whistle, replacing John Stones in the 82nd minute.
Manuel Akanji’s impressive performances this season and a system change at the Etihad mean that Walker, now 33, is no longer the cobbler he once was.
His omission from the starting line-up in Istanbul would have been particularly difficult given the defender who played in Man City’s only previous UCL final, a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in 2021.
Club loyalist Kyle Walker was left out of Manchester City’s starting line-up against Inter Milan in the Champions League final – and is now said to be on his way to the Etihad this summer
He admitted to being ‘disappointed’ after City’s 1-0 win confirmed their third trophy of the season
The lack of playing time seems to be driving the full-back away from City The athletic claiming that ‘the time may have come’ for a transfer.
Walker’s omission from the UCL final starting XI was reportedly a ‘massive disappointment’, leaving him eyeing a ‘move abroad’ this summer.
Walker’s home club Sheffield United, where he started his career before moving to Tottenham in 2009, are interested in a deal for the English star, according to talkSPORT.
The Blades won promotion to the Premier League after a prolific campaign in the second tier and are starting the new season at home at Crystal Palace.
Walker’s departure will mark the end of a remarkably successful six-year spell at City for the England international.
Since joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2016, he has won 12 trophies, including five Premier Leagues and the UCL, in 254 games.
The newly promoted Sheffield United would like to sign the defender in the summer period
Pep Guardiola’s side relied less on Walker, now 33, than in previous years, but the defender still played an integral part in City’s Treble-winning campaign
Reflecting on what could be his last trophy in Istanbul, the defender said: “We couldn’t work as hard as we’ve done all season to throw him away.
“The boys dug deep. I got a silver medal last time, so to have a gold medal is fantastic.
‘I’m living the dream. My father and mother were in the stands. Where I come from, in Sheffield, it’s not easy for them to be here. I remember Mom didn’t have a pound for the ice cream truck. I am so grateful.
“I am over the moon and rarely speechless, but my dream has just come true. To achieve this with this club, after everything they’ve done for all of us over the years, to win the Treble is incredible.’