Kyle Walker ‘hurt’ to miss out on FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea and Tottenham’s win over Manchester United in final match at White Hart Lane
England right-back became most-expensive defender in football history when he joined Manchester City for £54million
KYLE WALKER has revealed he was "hurt" to miss out on starting key games towards the end of his time at Tottenham.
The England right-back ended his eight-year stay in North London when he joined Manchester City for £54million — becoming the world's most-expensive defender in the process.
Walker, 27, was omitted from the starting line-up for the FA Cup semi-final defeat against Chelsea, as well as the last-ever match at White Hart Lane.
And he admitted he was disappointed to miss out after dedicating so much of his career at the club.
He told : "Not starting against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final or the last North London derby at White Hart Lane or the last game there, against Manchester United, having been there for eight years — that hurt!
“Sometimes I feel like crying when I think about it — that I spent eight years there and I’ll never see that place again.
"It hurts. But I’m a man. I’m a professional. I was encouraging Tripps [Kieran Trippier], wanting him to do well, wanting the team to do well.
"The gaffer [Mauricio Pochettino] picked the team he thought was best and I had to deal with it. The important thing was winning those games."
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It had been speculated for some time that Walker was going to leave Tottenham to join the Pep Guardiola revolution at the Etihad.
However, he revealed he had several other interested parties — but couldn't turn down the opportunity to work with the former Barcelona boss.
He added: “Once I knew I was allowed to leave Tottenham and that I wasn’t as much in the manager’s plans as I thought I was going to be, there were a number of clubs I could have gone to.
"But when this opportunity came up, to work with the manager here, I couldn’t turn it down.
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"It was football reasons first and foremost.
"If this was a team that booted it long, I wouldn’t have come because it wouldn’t have helped my game.
"But after speaking to the gaffer here, knowing the players he was going to bring, I thought this team was going to be a force.”
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