Pep Guardiola: 'Manchester City teammates demanded Kyle Walker to stay'
The Citizens confirmed on Thursday afternoon that the 33-year-old has put pen to paper on a new two-year contract extension until June 2026 following a lengthy spell of uncertainty over his future during the summer transfer window.
Walker was strongly linked with a move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and recently admitted that he was «close» to completing a permanent move to the Allianz Arena.
However, the experienced England international was ultimately persuaded to commit his future to the Etihad Stadium where he has won a total of 15 trophies over a six-year period.
Guardiola has described Walker as a «really important» figure at Man City and believes that the defender is continuing to improve his game despite entering the latter stages of his career.
Asked about Walker's impact at the club, Guardiola told mancity.com: «Really important. „Kyle is an important figure for us. Players demanded he could not leave. At the end he decided to stay with his wife and family. It is really important for us.
“I spoke with mates and lots of people and they told me Kyle cannot leave. He has qualities you can't find across the world.
»He can control the best wingers on the planet, who can do better than him?
«He's getting better on the ball year by year and after he will compete with [Erling] Haaland to score goals. He scored (for England) against Ukraine so be careful Erling!»
Guardiola believes that Walker still has the hunger to compete for more trophies with the Citizens, adding: «His mind is there and here in the pitch. In terms of genetics, few players I've seen like
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