Walker: We need to win more silver

Kyle Walker did not know Manchester City’s victory over his former club Tottenham Hotspur would officially make him a Premier League champion when he left Wembley a vindicated man on Saturday night.

City had beaten Spurs thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling, but the party was on ice until Manchester United had suffered a shock defeat to West Bromwich Albion less than 24 hours later.

Walker was well aware, however, that he had one hand on the trophy, and a Carabao Cup winners’ medal already stashed away, when he described the grass as greener at City.

He has got exactly what he wanted, but Walker was not in the mood to gloat. He left Tottenham’s temporary home clutching the shirt of his old team-mate Kieran Trippier and stressed how much he wants Spurs to beat Manchester United in next week’s FA Cup semifinal, and go on to win the trophy.

The 27-year-old believes the current Tottenham squad “deserve” to win silverware and insisted he and Mauricio Pochettino still respect each other – even though there remains a clear difference of opinion over the details of his exit.

Refusing to take anything for granted ahead of United’s result, Walker said: “We won the Carabao Cup, and that was a step in the right direction for me, but to be competing in the Premier League since I was 19 and to play all the games I played to not win the Premier League was a bit devastating. So to come here, and it’s in touching distance now in my first season – it’s fantastic for me.

“You always ask, ‘Is the grass greener on the other side?’, and it looks [like it is]. We need to continue. We can’t just stop at one Premier League title if we go on and do that. It needs to be a number of years before we can be regarded as one of the top teams ever to have played in the league. We have the youth in the squad, and the hunger to go on and do big things.”

Pochettino revealed in his book, Brave New World, that Walker was late for an important team meeting and gave his account of why the former Sheffield United youngster left after losing his place to Trippier.

The Argentine wrote: “Walker came to my office after the Watford game. ‘Gaffer, I’ve been at Tottenham for eight years. I’ve thought about it and my heart isn’t here any more, nor is my head. I’ve given all I have to give.’” Pochettino said he replied, ‘Kyle, you have to stay professional. There’s a month and a half to go. We’re battling for the Premier League and FA Cup. We have to be focused and finish the campaign strongly.’ Walker’s alleged response was, ‘OK, gaffer, but it’s already decided’.

On Saturday night, Walker said: “Whatever you read, I know what really happened. I know the truth behind it and so does he.

“I won’t stand here and start slagging people off. That’s not what I’m about. I left because it was a time in my career that I needed to move on ... luckily it’s worked out.”

City’s performance and result at Wembley was befitting of champions and provided the perfect response to a week in which they had blown up against United and been knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool.

“We’ve gone from doing so well in all competitions to take three losses,” added Walker, “but we put that right. That shows the character and the belief in the standard of players in the dressing room.

“It’s disappointing to lose a game with the chance to go into the semifinals of the Champions League. It was crushing.

“I’m not going to say we didn’t deserve what happened. Liverpool beat us in two games, and congratulations to them. I wish them all the success in the Champions League because it would be fantastic for an English club to go and win it. You have to take your hat off to them.”

While Walker will finish his first season at City with two trophies, he still hopes Pochettino and his players win their first piece of silverware with Tottenham in the FA Cup.

“They’ve got Manchester United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, which is a big trophy for them,” he said. “So, please God, they go and win it because their lads deserve it. Every single one of them works hard every day. Not just the lads, but the coaching staff as well.

“For them to do that when it was a season when they were getting a lot of ifs and buts about Wembley would be very good for them.”