Pep Guardiola ‘fine’ with manner of Kyle Walker’s Manchester City exit

Pep Guardiola insists the way Kyle Walker’s time at Manchester City came to an end should do nothing to take away from his achievements during an eight-year spell with the club.

Walker won six Premier League titles and the Champions League among 15 major honours with City but asked to leave the club in January, heading for a loan spell with AC Milan before signing a two-year deal in the summer to join Saturday’s opponents Burnley.

Walker, who had been made club captain last summer, left City midway through the season in which Guardiola’s side fell well short of their usual standards before rallying to finish third in the Premier League.

But Guardiola insisted he had no issue with Walker or the manner of his departure as he praised the 35-year-old as one of the best full-backs ever.

“I would have loved the best Kyle (last season) but he was unhappy for reasons, or when I take a situation for a family reason or from his life,” Guardiola said.

“Obviously, you know all of you, sometimes I take a decision, but when the player isn’t happy or satisfied and cannot be there it’s my job and I have an agreement with the club. For me it’s fine.”

Walker, who had signed a new contract with City only last September, had been appointed captain by his team-mates in keeping with a system long used by Guardiola.

But ahead of this season the Catalan chose to name his own skipper as he handed the armband to Bernardo Silva, with Ruben Dias, Rodri and Erling Haaland as vice-captains.

Guardiola insisted his change in approach was nothing to do with Walker’s exit.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “I never put responsibility on what happened on one person, so that’s why I never choose just one or team chooses just one (captain), there’s a lot of them in that position.

“What happened last season, many things happened, not just for one person. It never happened for one person, absolutely. (The) captain left, there’s many reasons why, and then there are other captains but it’s a good lesson, so life is like that.

“It happens many times, many things, during one season, you just learn from that, and this season I decided that, and maybe next season I will decide completely the opposite.”

City were linked with Newcastle’s Tino Livramento in the summer but ultimately did not sign a right-back to directly replace Walker, with Abdukodir Khusanov, Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis having been used in his place.

Guardiola admitted it was “difficult” to replace a player of Walker’s qualities but denied that put any extra pressure on those who have been asked to fill the void.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “Kyle has his abilities, his skills as a player, and these ones have another one.

“I said many times, I would love to have been here with the old players that we had that helped us a lot but it’s happened and the moment he decided he wanted to leave and not be here anymore, what can we do?”

Meanwhile City’s 20-year-old academy product Nico O’Reilly has signed a contract extension to remain at the club until 2030.

O’Reilly, an England under-20 international, has made 27 appearances for the club since breaking into the first-team squad, most of them at left-back although he has also featured in midfield.

“This is a day I will never forget,” O’Reilly said. “I have been at City since the age of eight and to have made it into the first team and have played matches is a dream come true. To be rewarded with a new contract really is special.”