Pep Guardiola confident he can find replacement if Kyle Walker leaves Man City | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola is backing himself to find the solution should captain Kyle Walker leave Manchester City this month.

The veteran right-back has told the club he wants to move and play the final years of his career abroad.

The 34-year-old has been integral to City’s success under Guardiola, helping the team win 17 trophies – including six Premier League titles and the Champions League – in his eight years at the Etihad Stadium.

He would leave a void but, while City may not have a ready-made replacement available, Guardiola is confident in the resources he does have – and his ability to make the most of them.

“I’m so clever,” the City manager said. “I’m so talented a manager to find the right solution.”

Asked if he thought he had the players to take over from Walker, he said: “Yes.”

Youngster Rico Lewis is the obvious alternative having impressed in the position previously and indeed been preferred to Walker in recent weeks.

Walker has not started since the December 15 loss to Manchester United after fitness issues were followed by a poor run of form. He was then left out of the matchday squad for Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Salford altogether having expressed his desire to leave.

Other options would include centre-backs John Stones and Manuel Akanji, although both have had injury problems this season, and even midfielder Matheus Nunes.

Walker has been linked with AC Milan and the club would not stand in his way should a suitable offer be received for a player who is contracted until summer 2026.

In the meantime he will continue to train as normal, however, and could come back into the reckoning for the champions’ trip to Brentford on Tuesday.

Guardiola said at a press conference: “Listen, Kyle is our player right now. That’s all. We have the option.

“What’s going to happen, I don’t know. Stay – we’ll be happy. If he has to leave, it will happen. I don’t want to add anything else. Brentford is my priority right now.”

The Walker situation could nevertheless accelerate City’s attempts to sign players in this month’s transfer window.

With a lengthy injury list compounded by recent results – a run of one win in 13 games at the tail end of 2024 – City have unusually decided to explore the winter market.

Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush and Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov are strongly rumoured to be targets.

After several years of success with a settled but now ageing squad, it indicates a changing of the guard is coming and Guardiola accepts, with hindsight, the refresh should maybe have come sooner.

He said: “We knew at the beginning of the season that the team, in a question of time, would have 10, 11 players more than 30 years old.

“But the same team that are more than 30 years old, five or six months ago, won a fourth Premier League in a row.

“We knew that sooner or later we should have done it but what happened wasn’t expected.

“The best way is to do it is gradually but after the injuries – wow – maybe we should have done it.

“But you never know in that position. I think the team is really good and the squad is really, really good, otherwise we cannot have achieved what we achieved last season.”