KYLE WALKER admitted he felt “uncomfortable” telling Pep Guardiola he wanted to quit Manchester City.
The England defender, 34, was unveiled by new club AC Milan yesterday — and revealed a lack of games was one reason for leaving on loan.
Boss Guardiola gave a frosty answer when asked on Friday if Walker would be missed, saying only that his captain “decided to leave”.
And Walker said: “When I spoke with Pep, it wasn’t a comfortable conversation because of the respect we have for each other.
“What he’s won at City, I have won it, too. I like to think he knows what I bring to a dressing room.
“City was my family — from the cooks to cleaners, kitmen and physios. I like to think I was liked and helped everyone blend in.
“But things weren’t going well there and I wasn’t playing enough.”
Despite City’s slump, the defender started just nine Prem games this season — along with two matches in other competitions.
Walker’s deal has 18 months left to run and he will initially be on loan for the rest of the season.
He said: “I would have honoured the contract if they hadn’t let me leave as that’s me as a person.
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“But it just comes down to challenges where you think, ‘OK, I need to try something different’.
“I spoke to many ex-players who never moved abroad and they told me they wished they had.”
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Walker has picked the No 32 shirt — the same number David Beckham sported playing there.
He has vowed to learn Italian and, despite picking up 17 major trophies at the Etihad, is hungry for success in a new country.
The veteran added: “I want to show I can do it in the Italian league, too.
“I still have fire in my belly — I don’t just want to have won things in just one country.”
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