Despite his age, Kyle remained one of the best wing-backs, which was confirmed by the interest in him from the “Bayern” side, and Munich are carefully selecting candidates to strengthen the squad. But even players like Walker can’t stay young forever. It’s not that Kyle has aged dramatically, but now he doesn’t look like the kind of player who was put in defense against the strongest wingers.
The 34-year-old fullback must have had a lot of problems both on and off the field, as he asked Manchester City to find him a new club, and outside of England. There were immediate suitors for Walker as he continues to be a quality player, but something went wrong at the Etihad.
Someone associates “Manchester City” with Guardiola, Kevin De Bruyne or Erling Holland, and someone – with Walker. Tellingly, he was one of the best when the “townsmen” were winning, and became perhaps the team’s worst player when it was in crisis. First of all, Kyle began to have health problems, which did not happen often before.
Previously, Walker could easily play for the club and the national team for one season, and there were times when he even shortened his vacation in order to quickly prepare for the new campaign. However, now he does not radiate the freshness and self-confidence that he had before. In the current season, Walker began to receive less playing time. There are matches in which he spends 90 minutes, but this is more likely caused by personnel problems of the “townsmen”.
Kyle began to be criticized often and, as it turned out, for good reason. In the current campaign, “Manchester City” wins only 20% of the matches, code he enters the field in the starting line-up. This is very little. Walker is called one of the main culprits of the fact that the “townsmen” began to often let their rivals in. Indeed, Kyle has been a target for opponents this season. Tottenham spent half of their attacks through his flank in the same high-profile match that saw Spurs thrash Manchester City 4-0.
It is already more difficult for Walker to catch up with his rivals – they see it and understand it. Opponents began to try to take the ball away from him more often, and began to win in single combats more often. The trump card of “Manchester City” has become a weak point of the team. Guardiola has admired Walker’s form recently. The specialist noted that Kyle has unique genetic features that help him maintain speed, strength and endurance. But everyone gets old. And it looks like the same thing is happening with Kyle right now.
The match against Manchester United was indicative, as a result of which the defender of the “townsmen” was recognized by analysts as one of the worst players in the derby. He lost the ball 20 times, made only 2 accurate long passes out of 11 and won only half of the duels. The clash with the young United forward Rasmus Hoylund, after which many criticized the veteran, was not a positive moment for Walker.
Perhaps Kyle is affected by personal problems, which is reflected in his performances. The football player has a turbulent life outside the field. In recent years, he broke up several times with his wife, with whom he raises four children, and met with his mistress, who also raises his children. Walker admitted in an interview that he had made many mistakes, but it was a real shock for him when his wife filed for divorce.
However, according to the latest news, Kyle got one last chance to return to the family. This is probably one of the reasons why he wants to leave not only the club but also the country. Perhaps the couple want to try to start from scratch in a new place, away from the English tabloids, where the Manchester City defender has been a frequent guest.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Kyle Walker Guardiola confirmed that Walker wants a change of scenery to deal with the problems. “Towns” are ready to release the football player now. Guardiola, in principle, is easy to part with players, especially if they themselves want to leave the club, and the management will probably go to meet the veteran of the team. Moreover, according to rumors, Manchester City is ready to let the player go for free.
Now the main question is where Kyle will continue his career. According to the latest news, the Englishman’s new club may be Milan. According to the Italian media, the parties are conducting active negotiations, in which Zlatan Ibrahimovich is participating. Walker has already announced his contract wishes to the Rossoneri, so now everything will depend on the Italians.
At the same time, the “red and blacks” also want to sign the “Man United” winger Marcus Rashford. However, due to the limit on football players from outside the European Union, Milan will be able to get only one of these players. The final decision will probably be made by the new coach of the Rossoneri, Sergio Conceição, who will determine which position is more important to strengthen. If Kyle can’t do it with Italy, he can do it with Saudi Arabia. Al Nasr have been linked with an interest in the player for some time, with Al Ahli rumored to be willing to double his current wages.
Earlier, Walker declared his desire to end his career in Sheffield United, whose pupil he is. It would make a good story. In addition, the team has good chances to reach the Premier League based on the results of the current season. But that is unlikely to happen any time soon, given Kyle’s desire to leave England. Be that as it may, there is little doubt that Walker will find a suitable club and be able to play a few more years at a decent level. He won everything, he has nothing more to prove. Now the main goal is to establish relations with the family. This is much more important than football.
Sergey ZAVALKO
Source: sport.ua