Gareth Southgate reviews Ukraine game
Kyle Walker has twice had to be talked out of international retirement by Gareth Southgate. The revelation comes after the 33-year-old’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Ukraine in Wroclaw, Poland which kept England on track for qualification to next summer’s Euro 2024.
But the England manager revealed that Walker was ready to hang up his Three Lions shirt after the disappointing ends to both Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup in Qatar. “It’s always all credit to him and I’ve talked him out of retirement twice out of international football!” Southgate said.
“After the Euros and after the World Cup. There’s no need for detail and I probably realise I’ve overstepped here! He’s probably not going to thank me for sharing that.
“I think he loves being here and he’s wanted to keep going and now he’s thinking about how many caps he can get.” The Manchester City defender – who is now on 77 appearances, eight behind England’s most-capped right-back Gary Neville – confirmed his previous desire to quit.
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“I’m playing well but obviously, in the moment, at the time that me and Gareth spoke, the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Reece James were coming through,” he said. “You do think your days are numbered.
“And to sacrifice how many holidays and summers that I’ve sacrificed… I’ve been doing this since I was 19 when I joined the senior team. I’m 33 now. Me and Gareth have a good relationship off the field.
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“We do speak and I feel that I can still bring something to the team. So why stop?“
Southgate concluded: “I don’t think he realised how much value we have for him and how important he is for us. He’s critical! If we’re talking about world class players in their position in our team then he’s probably one of them.”
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