Kyle Walker admits he shouldn’t have left Manchester City for Christian Pulisic’s AC Milan
Kyle Walker was one of AC Milan’s headline signings in the 2025 winter transfer window, but after six months that didn’t go as planned, the defender returned to England. Now at Burnley, Walker has admitted he shouldn’t have left Manchester City to join Christian Pulisic’s side.
During the 2024-25 season, Walker began to play a secondary role under Pep Guardiola following the emergence of young right-back Rico Lewis. Frustrated by a lack of minutes, the then–City captain decided to join Milan on loan until the end of the season.
In an interview with Sky Sports, the defender opened up about his decision to leave Manchester City: “At that time in the season, should I have left? Looking back at it now, probably no. I should have stood by or next to my team-mates, next to my friends and people who I class as my family. But for the first time probably in my career I was selfish and I thought about myself and I wanted to play football.”
Walker also explained how Milan’s offer came at a moment of vulnerability. “I don’t see it as a bad reason, but I wasn’t happy sitting on the bench and getting a game here or there whenever I could. I felt that I still had a point to prove, I felt that I could still play football at a high level and when a club like AC Milan comes, I didn’t think I could turn it down knowing that I was on the bench,” he added.
Walker initially earned a key role at AC Milan, but a fractured elbow proved a major setback during his time in Italy. With Pulisic’s side dropping to ninth place in Serie A, missing out on European competition, and facing financial limitations, I Rossoneri ultimately decided not to trigger the buy option for the English defender.
Walker doesn’t directly regret joining Milan
In less than a year, Walker went from being one of Manchester City’s captains to a short stint at AC Milan, and now to recently promoted Premier League side Burnley. While some fans might see it as a step back in his career or the result of a series of poor decisions, the defender sees it differently.
Reflecting on his decision to join Milan, Walker made his stance clear: “But again, I don’t regret it because I’ve always wanted to play abroad and I’ve always wanted to experience playing abroad. I’ve experienced it, but I’m glad that I did the six months.”
Although he admitted there was room for improvement, Walker emphasized the positives from his time in Italy. “I probably could have done a little bit better as well, but I think everyone associated with the club would probably hold their hands up and say ‘that was a season to just put behind us’ and they’ve set off pretty well. I’ve still got friends there and still look out for their results,” he concluded.