Burnley completed a surprise move for Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker on Friday.
Former Manchester City star Kyle Walker is ready to make the most of the second chance he has been handed by his surprise move to Burnley.
The veteran England defender looked set to leave the Premier League on a permanent basis after finding himself surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium. Walker spent the second half of last season on loan at Serie A giants AC Milan but his future was left clouded in doubt when a permanent switch to the San Siro was not forthcoming at the end of the campaign.
However, he has been handed an opportunity to extend his time in the Premier League by former Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Scott Parker after Burnley reportedly agreed a fee that could reach £5 million to make Walker their latest new addition ahead of their return to the Premier League. The 35-year-old has already made over 400 top flight appearances and he is now hoping to use his experience to help his new club as they prepare for the challenges that lie in wait over the next nine months.
He told Clarets+: “I’m on 410 Premier League appearances. I kind of thought it was 410 and out but football is a strange, weird and wonderful game. Hopefully I can add to that and hopefully I can bring something to this dressing room and to their style of play so that the lads can learn something off me.
“I try to be a leader as much as possible on the pitch and I hope the younger lads can look up to me and see the type of football I’ve been taught over the last few years and I can help the gaffer in every single way. You come to a certain part of your career where you’re normally the young one going in the box, then all of a sudden you’re the mid-one where you’re on the outside and you’ve got younger ones going in and then all of a sudden you’re never going to go in the box because you’re the oldest one there.”
Great career
Kyle Walker has said the gap between Manchester United and Manchester City is closing.placeholder image
Kyle Walker has said the gap between Manchester United and Manchester City is closing. | Getty Images
Walker has claimed a whole host of major honours during an eight-year stay with City as he became a six-time Premier League champion, a four-time League Cup winner and lifted the FA Cup on two occasions. He was also part of the City side that completed a historic treble with a Champions League final win against Inter in 2023 and also won the FIFA World Club Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield whilst working under Pep Guardiola.
Although he is now in the final years of his career, the 96-times capped England international insisted he still has more to give as he links up with his new Burnley team-mates for the first time.
He said: “Do I feel old? No, I still feel young. I feel as though there’s still life in the legs, definitely, and I want to give back. Not just to my teammates, but also the people around me who have supported me in the great career I’ve had.
“But to my teammates, the younger lads, it’s important I teach and educate them, not just in football because football is a wonderful game. But there’s a lot more things above football, about being a person and about how you conduct yourself, and hopefully I can bring that to the football club, but most importantly get the three points for Burnley and keep us in the best league in the world.”
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