Kyle Walker has revealed his desire to return to boyhood club Sheffield United before calling time on his playing career.
The former Manchester City defender announced his retirement from international football earlier this month and has now revealed that he would love to retire at the club where his playing career began.
Walker rose through the ranks at the Blades and also made his debut for the senior side, before going on to also play for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and the likes.
“I don’t know if I’ll continue playing for a few more years. I feel once that time in my head comes where I’m done, I’d have to be true to myself. Leave the game before the game leaves you”, Walker stated.
“I’m 36 in May, but I’m feeling good. It takes longer to recover, I can tell you that. One million %.
“And now I’m probably doing a lot more defending than I’ve ever done in my career, but I feel good. It’s more for me upstairs and you fight your little battles in your head if you can keep doing it.
“I don’t want to tarnish what I’ve done but I also have a level of respect for myself that I’ll do it on my terms”, the former England defender added.
Walker joined Burnley on a permanent deal last summer after leaving Manchester City and still has one more year left on his contract at the club.
However, he could now be set for another stint at Sheffield United with nothing decided yet over his future.
“I’m not letting outside noise reflect what I want to do as a footballer because it’s a short career and people don’t understand that”, Walker continued.
“It’s been [ingrained] in us from the age of six when I started. I never played grassroots. I played Sheffield United and that was it. Suddenly, if you take that away from me, what am I going to do? What do I go into?
“I’ve not done anything else in my whole entire life except football, so it’s a big part of me and to let it go, it’s hard. But sometimes you have to let it go when you’re not good enough anymore.
“I’d like to keep playing for another few years. It’s always been a dream to play for Sheffield United again. To start there at six years old and then leaving at 19 — I spent so many incredible years there.
I hope to play for them again, I don’t know when that will be. I don’t know if they will want me”, he concluded.
For now, Walker’s priority will be finishing the season strongly with Burnley as they battle Premier League survival, before making a decision on his next move at the end of the campaign.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
