Back in June, it felt like Kyle Walker’s Manchester City career was over.
Despite winning the treble, Walker was out of favour and wasn’t happy at being left out of the Champions League final starting XI. He had played in the FA Cup final a week before, but had been in and out of the Premier League side that held off Arsenal and was no longer guaranteed to start in the big games.
Shortly after the celebrations after Istanbul died down, reports emerged from Germany that Walker had an offer from Bayern Munich and that he was minded to accept it.
The move made sense - Bayern are one of the only sides who can rival City in Europe for the Champions League, and if Walker was guaranteed regular football in Munich, it would aid his case for England ahead of next summer’s European Championship. Not only was Walker facing competition at City, but for England too - with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier and Reece James all fighting for his spot.
ALSO READ:Man City star Erling Haaland thinks he can beat Lionel Messi to Ballon d’Or
When Gareth Southgate has dealt with competition for the right-back spot before, he has taken form and playing time into account. Walker knew that a decline in games for City - especially on the big stage - would put his England spot in jeopardy.
Last summer, Walker told reporters that he felt his England career was over after a foolish red card vs Iceland in 2020, which earned criticism from Southgate. But after taking a step back and looking himself in the mirror, he declared that ‘nobody will retire me’. If he was going to go out, for club or country, he would do it on his terms.
It seems that Walker applied a similar mantra this summer.
However important he has been to City, he would leave if it meant he could continue playing at the highest level. Only when City offered a new deal did he decide to stay, with that contract expected to be signed soon. Walker admitted recently that the decision purely came down to how long City or Bayern could offer him on a contract.
Walker captained City over the summer after Ilkay Gundogan’s departure and Kevin De Bruyne’s injury issues, even facing Bayern on a strange night in Tokyo. Whether it was City trying to prove to Walker how much they wanted him to stay, or simply a case of adapting to a slightly unbalanced defence on tour, Walker has started every game since the Champions League final. And it worked.
City showed Walker what he wanted, and Walker has repaid them with some good performances. If the inverted full-back system cost him his place in Istanbul, Walker has fought back by showing his ever-improving qualities in that role but also his ability to cover the entire right flank on his own as Phil Foden or Bernardo Silva come inside off the right-wing.
Walker occupied the entire right flank against Bayern in pre-season, and has done so effectively against Newcastle, Sheffield United, and (at times) Fulham in the Premier League. He has become more involved in the City attack, so it was perhaps no surprise that he was furthest forward for England against Ukraine on Saturday when the Three Lions needed an equaliser.
With Harry Kane deep, Walker timed his run perfectly to collect the quarterback pass in the area, bring it down, then half-volley into the back of the net. On his 77th cap, Walker had his first international goal - no player waiting longer for their first strike for England.
It comes at a good time, continuing his good start to the season, but also showing Southgate that he remains the best right-back option ahead of Trippier and Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool right-back could offer England an option in midfield, or even as an inverted full-back, but is injured this month, as is James. At the moment, the right-back spot for Euro 2024 is Walker’s to lose.
And so is the right-back spot at City, with Walker set to sign a deal until 2026. City need a new captain and will soon vote on Gundogan’s successor. The Blues didn’t even offer Gundogan more than a year’s extension before it was too late, but are so keen to keep Walker they gave him the length of contract he wanted until he will be 36.
Walker wants the captaincy role, and it looks like it is between him and De Bruyne. If he was to be elected, it would continue the most remarkable of comebacks for a player who has gone from packing his bags to being indispensable for club and country in the space of four months.
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
