Lining up for England in the European Championship final last summer, few would have imagined Kyle Walker ending the season with no clue where he will be at the start of the next one.
Sure, the life of a footballer is filled with twists, turns, setbacks and hurdles and Walker has had plenty of those, but above all he was an elite defender – arguably the greatest full back these shores have ever seen.
Often unfairly maligned as a ‘pace merchant’, Walker has dominated the right-hand side of every single Premier League ground for over a decade with Tottenham and Manchester City. It’s not for nothing his podcast used to be called ‘You’ll never beat Kyle Walker’.
Even at 34, though he was entering the twilight phase of an illustrious career, he was unquestionably the best the country had to offer, but then his form fell off a cliff with his personal life dominating the spotlight, seemingly with every shaky display.
Things came to a head when, in January, he announced the need for a new challenge, and joined AC Milan on loan at a time when he appeared to be fighting for his marriage with the mother of four of his children, Annie Kilner, amid the ongoing saga with his influencer ex-mistress Lauryn Goodman.
Now, with reports from Italy suggesting AC Milan have turned down their option to make his loan permanent after failing to impress, the question is no longer ‘can you beat Walker?’, but ‘where else can he turn?’
Kyle Walker’s loan with AC Milan has seemingly not gone to plan with reports claiming the Italian giants will not be making the move permanent
Walker’s Italy switch came as he fought for his marriage with Annie Kilner, the mother of four of his children
He is now at a crossroads with a year left on his Man City contract despite falling out of favour
Of course, he is only on loan at AC Milan, and still has a year on his deal at City left, so the most likely option is he will return to the Etihad, but whether or not he will resume his role is another issue entirely.
Walker featured 15 times for City in the Premier League this season, winning six games, but of the games he started incredibly only one ended in victory. It’s true that City have been well off the boil this season, but for many his personal malaise epitomised their need for a widescale overhaul.
His drop in form has been alarming, but there are mitigating factors, as ever. There can’t be a player in the country whose personal life has been in the headlines more often over the last 18 months than Walker.
His relationship with Goodman is well-documented, as is his wife Kilner’s decision to try and make things work with the footballer, with whom she has four sons – Roman, 11, Riaan, seven, Reign, five, and baby Rezon.
With Goodman, his former mistress, Walker has two further children, and she has regularly made clear her intentions to be close to their father, suggesting a move to Dubai when he was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, and similarly raising the possibility of relocating to Italy.
Kilner, for her part, has visited her husband in Milan since his move in January, and he has also made return trips to Cheshire, one such visit coming in the wake of being photographed partying late into the night with two models in Milan, hours after his wife had flown home to England.
Yet despite a strong enough start to life in Serie A which teased a successful stint and eventual £4m move, things have once more dropped off for Walker in northern Italy.
An elbow injury back in April hardly helped, with youngster Alex Jimenez taking his opportunity to usurp the veteran’s place; it’s not difficult to spot the trappings of a tale as old as time. Since then, he’s struggled to win his place back and is consigned to the bench.
MailOnline exclusively revealed that Kyle had been partying with Serbian models Dragana Draca (left) and Marijana Vidovic (right)
Wife Annie has been to visit Walker in Milan and the defender has made trips back to Cheshire
Walker only won one game that he started in the Premier League before departing for Man City
Which brings us to his current predicament. The move to Milan has failed to breathe new life into his career in quite the way he had hoped, and he left City with his stock rapidly declining, so where can he turn?
Well, Walker himself has left the door open to a return to City, and seemingly believes that he can still hack it at the Etihad, though things will likely look vastly different with the club sure to recruit heavily this summer.
‘After I said my goodbyes, Pep [Guardiola] got up and spoke and said a really nice message to me, just saying thank you for everything,’ he said. ‘But, listen, it’s not over. I’m just on loan here. I’ve got to take that into consideration that I can go back.
‘Obviously, both parties need to come to an agreement come the end of the season and… listen, the chapter’s not fully closed, but we’ll see what happens.’
Beyond a return to City, though, there aren’t too many options left for the defender, who will be 35 by the time this season finishes. He has also stated his intentions t hunt down five more England caps to bring up his century for the Three Lions.
‘I wanted to play in Europe or stay in the Premier League,’ Walker added. ‘I do want to represent my country still and get to a hundred caps. I just want to be able to say that I’ve represented my country 100 times.’
He was linked with a move to German titans Bayern Munich in the past, which would give him the opportunity to continue at the highest level of the game alongside England and former Spurs team-mate Harry Kane once again, though the likelihood of a move remains to be seen.
They would certainly be able to afford his wage demands, though the club currently only has six players over the age of 30; one of whom is all-time Bayern legend Manuel Neuer, with three others out of contract this summer.
While he was injured youngster Alex Jimenez took his opportunity to usurp the veteran’s place
The England international has stated he believes the door remains open to a return for Man City
Vincent Kompany captained Walker at Man City for a number of years to great success
Walker came through the ranks at boyhood club Sheffield United and the Blades are favourites to return to the Premier League this summer
There’s also the other fact that Bayern are managed by his long-time team-mate Vincent Kompany, who led Walker to numerous Premier League titles and pieces of silverware. It seems unlikely that Walker would play a prominent role at the Allianz Arena, but a move would be intriguing to say the least.
An outside shout could be a return to boyhood club Sheffield United, who are huge favourites to win promotion back to the Premier League this summer. It’s unlikely the Blades would come close to matching his wages at the Etihad, but perhaps nostalgia can provide the necessary difference in negotiations.
Walker has outlined his intention to remain in Europe, but given his wage demands and advance years, he does fit the profile for the Saudi Pro League’s history of recruits from the continent’s bigger teams, though he would likely hamper his chances of bringing up his ton for England.
If that is his last great aim in what has been a stupidly successful career, then perhaps his best bet is assessing whether he has a chance to earn back his place in the City side over the summer.
Could the prospect of one last hurrah to force himself into the England side for next summer’s World Cup be the driving force he needs.
Rest assured, as any Premier League forward of the last decade will attest, the moment Walker decides he wants something, the only thing that seems to be able to stop him is himself.