Summary
Despite a strong start, Kyle Walker's performances at AC Milan have declined significantly.
The club is undecided about buying him permanently due to concerns about his age and salary.
Many Milan fans believe he is not good enough to stay long-term based on recent displays.
Kyle Walker's Italian honeymoon seems to be over just 10 games into his loan spell at AC Milan. The Manchester City right-back begrudgingly conceded halfway through the season that he was no longer fit to continue in the Premier League with the four-peat reigning champions, and so a new adventure was on the horizon.
That new test came in the form of a loan spell at the iconic San Siro. In his first few games in the red and black of the Rossoneri, things went well, as proven by the fact he managed to wriggle his way into Thomas Tuchel's first England squad. However, recent outings haven't been too kind for the 34-year-old, and now his performances have just as many lows as they did highs.
At his very best, there's no denying the former Tottenham man is one of the greatest right-backs in Premier League history. But suddenly it seems he has a lot more work to do if he's to stop his career from slipping away.
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After three starts, four-and-a-half hours of football, and three unbeaten matches for AC Milan, during which he conceded just twice, Walker made a good first impression on his new supporters when he first arrived in Milan.
In that same timeframe, he also clocked in an overall passing success rate of over 92%, while his pre-match ritual had endeared him to the San Siro almost instantly. As the saying goes, though, what goes up must come down, and Walker's form is currently reflecting that harsh reality.
In seven Serie A appearances, the right-back has yet to complete a single cross and has played no significant role in attacking transitions. His Champions League debut against Feyenoord further exposed his struggles, as he failed to keep up with Igor Paixao, looking every bit his age.
Since his fast start, there's no doubt Walker's performances have dipped. He was hooked at half-time during AC Milan's 1-0 win over Hellas Verona and also lasted just 45 minutes (this time coming off the bench) in the defeat at Lazio. In his latest outing - a 2-1 defeat to Napoli - Sempre Milan gave him a 4.5/10 player rating, as they wrote:
"The whole defence was poor, but he was certainly at fault on the second goal, following Buongiorno’s run fully – thus playing Lukaku onside – despite the fact that Milan had a high line at the time. A big mistake for a player with his experience. He had a couple of decent runs forward but then couldn’t get the crosses right."
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AC Milan Undecided on Whether to Buy Walker Permanently
His fans are becoming increasingly frustrated by his mistakes
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There have been rumours that AC Milan will make Walker's deal permanent in June. However, according to Spanish journalist Matteo Moretto, despite what’s filtering from several Italian news outlets, the 34-year-old's redemption by Milan in June is not certain and is on standby at the moment, he said in an interview with Fabrizio Romano. Milan is reflecting on Walker’s future due to his age in confrontation with his salary (he should earn €4.5M in case of redemption).
AC Milan supporters, meanwhile, seem much more certain about their thoughts and feelings towards the right-back, as they fear he is not good enough to stay long-term. "Kyle Walker should not be bought under any circumstances," one X user said.
"Old, with unacceptable mistakes given his experience, he doesn't provide leadership or calm, he's a high salary, etc. He played well in his first two games and then never again. If he didn't sign for Milan, he would go to Arabia."
Another user added: "Making Emerson Royal look better in attack was a tough task, but the Englishman has managed to do it," while a third comment concluded: "Milan shouldn't buy him, his age is a big problem."
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore (correct as of 31/03/2025)