Pep Guardiola Reveals Key Player Has Asked to Leave Manchester City

It appears Manchester City will have to rebuild in the summer without one of their most experienced defensive stars.

City thrashed League 2 side Salford 8-0 in the FA Cup on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium, but they did so with a notable name missing from the team sheet.

Defensive stalwart Kyle Walker's omission was a topic of conversation before and after City's resounding victory, with City boss Pep Guardiola admitting that his longtime defensive mainstay had asked for the opportunity to move on from the club.

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Speaking at the post-match press conference, Guardiola admitted, "Well, it's not easy for me to say because he's not here, but two days ago, Kyle asked to explore the options to play abroad at the end of his career.

"He asked two years ago, after the treble. Bayern Munich, I think, wanted him, but the offer was not good enough, and I asked him, the club asked him, how important he is."

Walker signed for City from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2017 in a deal worth up to £50 million ($61 million). He went on to help City to 17 trophies in his seven and a half years at the Etihad Stadium, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.

But, despite having 18 months remaining on his contract at City, Walker has informed the club of his wish to move on to pastures new, with the 34-year-old keen to experience life in an overseas league after spending the entirety of his club career in England.

Despite looking disappointed at the prospect of losing such an influential player from his side, Guardiola heaped praise on the England international before explaining why he opted to leave him out of his matchday squad to face Salford.

"We cannot understand the success we've had these years without Kyle. It's impossible," he said.

"He's been our right back and he's given us something that we didn't have, and he's been amazing.

"But now, in his mind, he would like to explore already to go to another country to play the last years, for many reasons. And, for that reason, I preferred playing other players whose minds are here, that's all."

A host of City's other big stars were left out of Guardiola's starting lineup, but the likes of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Phil Foden were still included on the substitutes list. But Walker was left out completely, with Guardiola calling up 19-year-old academy player Jahmai Simpson-Pusey to occupy the right side of City's defense in his place.

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