Defender Kyle Walker returned from England camp injured after the Three Lions’ two most recent Nations League games, leaving Pep Guardiola furious.
Walker was among several Manchester City players who flew to St George’s Park for international duty, but he is the only member of Guardiola’s team who has regrettably returned with a knee injury.
After taking a hit during the victory over Finland, the 34-year-old fullback was unable to play against Wolves over the weekend. Although the injury isn’t considered to be too serious, the boss is quite angry.
“Never [have I been] so angry, never was I so disappointed,” Pep said to the media during the pre-match press conference before Man City’s Champions League encounter against AC Sparta Praha.
Although the Catalan coach acknowledged that nobody wants to be hurt, he reaffirmed that developing an issue as a result of a “friendly” just “cannot happen.”
John Stones, who won the game on Sunday, and Nathan Ake, who is currently injured, have both returned to training far from fully after playing for the national team, sometimes before a pivotal club encounter, the 53-year-old continued.
Even though Nations League matches aren’t technically friendly England is currently in the second division after losing in the Euro 2024 final competition isn’t as valuable as the other major tournaments and was primarily designed to add interest to the international break.
Nevertheless, Pep criticised the current lack of communication prior to players being called up, even if he claims he always pushes his players to represent their nation.
“The national manager used to call the club manager when I was a player, but now no one talks,” Pep remarked. “It was only the first or second season with Gareth [Southgate], but not since.”
City will have to play without Kyle Walker’s experience until Wednesday at 8 p.m. when they play Sparta Praha in the UCL.
However, since making his debut, England’s young player and academy product Rico Lewis has been flourishing and will undoubtedly be more than a suitable replacement until the right-back regains full fitness. Kevin De Bruyne, a master of the midfield, is reportedly nearing a recovery.