Kyle Walker future: "Nuclear button has been pressed" - but will Man City sign replacement in January after Pep Guardiola "death knell"?

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole that he expects wantaway defender Kyle Walker to leave the club during the January transfer window.

The 34-year-old was omitted from the Citizens squad for last weekend's 8-0 FA Cup obliteration of Salford City, and Pep Guardiola made the bombshell announcement post-match that he had asked to leave.

Walker, widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in world football during the prime years of his career, has played an important role in Man City's success since joining in 2017, making 319 appearances across all competitions and winning 17 trophies.

However, the six-time Premier League winner has looked increasingly vulnerable this season during a period when Man City have collectively struggled, and his error-strewn performances have come under much scrutiny from Citizens supporters.

Guardiola has insisted that the door is still open for "unstoppable" Walker to continue at the Etihad Stadium should he not receive any enticing offers from elsewhere, but McInerney believes that the "nuclear button has been pressed" and the England international will depart this month.

Walker is now keen to 'explore options' in another country in the latter years of his career, with Italian duo AC Milan and Inter Milan, as well as Saudi Pro League clubs, said to be interested in his services.

'It's very obvious that Kyle Walker's head's gone'

"I think he goes. I think he absolutely does go," McInerney told Sports Mole. "I think the nuclear button has been pressed here.

"Guardiola essentially said he's not focused. He said he's still a great player as well, but he's just not focused. I think it's very obvious that Kyle Walker's head's gone. He's left Manchester, if not physically, mentally. He's absolutely clocked out.

"I was surprised (to hear Guardiola confirm Walker's request after the win over Salford). It's no surprise and also a big surprise at the same time. Kyle Walker's always struck me as one of the lads, he wants to be there for the team, wore the armband with pride, and I think he loved being the captain of Manchester City. I expected him to stay around until the summer and see the job through.

"At the same time, it's well documented that he's got a lot going on personally. Maybe he just feels he needs this to move on. Ultimately, the football has left him to an extent at the Manchester City level. I think he needs to move for his own personal sake, for the sake of his career. I think it's just overwhelmed him massively, and I don't think he can fix that.

"I think there's too much around him, too much noise. Now that Guardiola's come out and said it publicly, I think that's the death knell. I think Guardiola saying publicly that Kyle wants to go - when he doesn't usually discuss the future of players until it happens - is Guardiola saying 'I've sort of done with it as well'.

'Walker was truly phenomenal at his very peak'

"Guardiola didn't say categorically Walker will leave, because the club has to arrange something. I think that's a bit of a facade, they've got to negotiate with clubs, but [Walker's exit] is going to happen almost certainly.

"AC Milan seems to be the rumoured destination, which I never expected in a billion years if I'm being honest. Apparently Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] wants him, which is wild, but this is 2025 Manchester City where everything can happen and anything will happen! I think he'll move on. I think it's for the best for him."

Reflecting on Walker's time at Man City, McInerney added: "A truly phenomenal footballer at his very peak. I think he might even be underappreciated somehow. I've never seen a defender lock down an entire side of the pitch as good as he has - and I truly mean that.

"[He was] flawless defensively. You could not get past him, doesn't matter who you are, [Kylian] Mbappe, Neymar, Vinicius Junior, they just couldn't lay a finger on him - and that is special. I don't think City could have achieved what they have done without that.

"It's a shame how it's ended, it's got very messy, although his form has unfortunately dramatically dipped after [winning] the treble. The off-the-field stuff has become so loud, so noisy, that's been impossible to ignore, and a lot of bad decisions have been made, essentially.

Will Man City sign a replacement right-back if Walker leaves?

"Personally, he maybe should have moved on (sooner), but it is what it is. I think time will be very generous to Kyle Walker. I think he'll always be in conversations as probably the best-ever Premier League right-back. There was a lot of messy noise around Ashley Cole at one point in his personal life, but no one questions his ability in the future - everyone knows he was brilliant.

"I think time will be very kind to Kyle Walker too, rightfully so, because he was phenomenal. But, it's time to go, I think it is unfortunately. I don't think the hunger is there, the focus, and probably the ability, because he has aged quite a bit.

"I watched a video of him the other day. I forgot just how good he was. I watched a compilation video of him playing in the Champions League against all these great players, and he's fast now still, but you forget just how fast he was.

"His sharpness, the acceleration, the alertness, he was so switched on, and I don't see that anymore unfortunately. Once that's gone, you can't really recover it, especially at the age he's at right now."

McInerney has also shared his thoughts on whether Man City will delve into the transfer market to sign a replacement right-back if Walker departs this month, with the likes of Nottingham Forest's Ola Aina, Juventus' Nicolo Savona and Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong having previously been linked with a move to the Etihad.

Press play on the video at the top of this article to hear the full discussion.

Written by

Oliver Thomas