Kyle Walker on ‘mentally tough’ Burnley move, Sheffield United hope and retirement plan

The 35-year-old was a serial winner under Pep Guardiola, amassing an incredible 18 trophies over an eight-year spell.

But it’s been tough going for the right-back at Turf Moor this season, where the Clarets look to be dropping back down to the Championship.

Walker’s own form has also taken a hit along the way, although he was back to his best during the weekend’s goalless draw with Bournemouth.

“It’s been mentally tough going from Manchester City to Burnley,” he told Gary Neville’s The Overlap, in association with Skybet.

“In your head, to be at the club that you've been, experience what you've experienced and playing with people that I've played with, and this is no disrespect to Burnley whatsoever and the players there, because I honestly think that they're a bunch of young men that are fantastic.

“The dressing room is class. I've never felt uncomfortable being there. The players welcomed me with open arms. That's something that needs to stay there, because it's a proper family-orientated club.

“The Premier League is completely different to the Championship. On occasions, you can flutter through games in the Championship because you know you’ve got some of the best players in the league, but in the Premier League, you make a mistake and you get punished.

“That's where we've probably fallen short this season in not turning up in some of the games where we need to probably collect the points.

“But, also as well giving away stupid goals and situations what's not really helped us out, as for a team and as for a club and an organisation, everyone's been good [to me].”

Having recently announced his retirement from international football, meaning he finishes on 96 caps, Walker is keen to hang up his boots for good on his terms.

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“I don’t know if I’ll continue playing for a few more years,” he admitted. “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.

“I’m 36 in May, but I’m feeling good. It takes longer to recover; I can tell you that. One million percent. And probably 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 [referring to the mental side of football] 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. 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.

“It's been inherited 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.”

On the topic of Sheffield United, his boyhood club, Walker - who still has a year remaining on his Burnley contract - admits he’d like to return to Bramall Lane before his career is up.

“It’s always been a dream to play for Sheffield United again,” he said.

“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.”

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