Kyle Walker hasn’t given up hope on playing for Manchester City again this season. Walker has struggled with ankle problems over the past month after initially picking up an injury in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. The ailment ruled him out of City’s two following Premier League fixtures as well as the first leg of the semi-final against Real Madrid. Guardiola had ruled the 31-year-old out for the rest of the season due to the injury but he hasn’t called an end to his season just yet.
Kyle Walker said: “It’s alright, it’s alright. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, obviously it’s had two very bad injuries in two games but I’m hoping. I’ve still got hope until the end of the season, until that whistle goes in 90 minutes at the Etihad against Aston Villa, that’s when I’ll say my season is over and have a little bit of a rest. Well, a week hopefully before I join up with England but I’ve still got hope for tomorrow, I’ve still got hope for next week, as I say, until the season’s done I’ll [not] be done.”
Walker then explained how he went into the match against Madrid without having any time on the training field.
Kyle Walker added: “It was massive, it was massive. I’m not talking behind anyone’s back while I’m saying this but I did no training. I walked straight on from the physio bench straight into the Bernabeu and played football. As a professional and in them games you don’t want to miss out on it. I feel that I could give something to the team to definitely help stop the winger [Vinicius] that was causing a lot of problems and had a lot of pace. When I was on the field I thought I did okay, I didn’t really feel 100 per cent and comfortable in doing what I normally do on the field but I felt I did my job as well as I could. After the ankle twist, it was better someone else came on rather than me carry on through injury.”