Kyle Walker admits he was bad ‘role model’ for staging sex party during Covid-19 lockdown as he returns to England fold
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KYLE WALKER has admitted to being a bad role model due to his lockdown madness.
The Manchester City defender apologised to boss Gareth Southgate for breaking rules by staging a sex party with prostitutes at the height of the coronavirius crisis.
He then broke lockdown rules three more times inside 24 hours in May.
Walker, back in the England frame for the first time in 15 months, said: "Me and the boss spoke after the lockdown incidents and, you know, he assured me that we all make mistakes.
"Obviously, mine was on a bigger scale and gets magnified with me being in the public eye and a role model to young children growing up, so I have to take full responsibility for my actions, which I have done.
"I reflect on, you know, my decision making. They were bad decisions from me at an important time for the country and the world.
"But now I'm just moving on. I'm so happy to be here. It's lovely to see some of the lads again that you don't get to see so regularly.”
Walker, 30, who has won 48 caps, accepts the squad has changed since he last played against Switzerland in the Nations League against Switzerland in June 2019.
The City full-back is preparing for Saturday’s Nations League game with Iceland and the trip to Denmark three days later.
Speaking to the talkSPORT and BBC 5 Live, he said: "The gaffer rung me up and he said that he wanted to look at the youngsters coming through, so I kind of just took a seat back and kind of thought 'OK, well, the next squad I'll be back in'.
"But, rightly so, I wasn't in the team because they played well when they got the chance. If you perform well for England, you should keep the shirt.
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“I was just actually speaking to Kempy (Steve Kemp) the physio yesterday and just saying how much it's changed.
"But I think it's changed for the right reasons. Each time that I've been in the squad - I've been out of the squad for I think it's just over a year now - you come back in and you fit in, and you just feel part of the family again.
“I think I came back from the lockdown with Manchester City and hit the ground running, played some really good football. Hopefully I can continue that in an England shirt."