‘Special place in my heart’ … Kyle Walker's big Sheffield United regret as he prepares for England World Cup campaign
Kyle Walker is one of a number of Sheffield United connections at the World Cup in Qatar which begins this weekend and the Manchester City star’s connection with his boyhood club has not diminished over the years.
Walker came through the academy at United and made only a handful of appearances before he was plucked, along with teammate Kyle Naughton, by Tottenham Hotspur and taken to the Premier League. Walker did return to Bramall Lane on loan before establishing himself in the top flight with Spurs and then City, who made him the most expensive defender in football history at the time when they signed him for £50m.
Despite four Premier League trophies and 70 England caps following, his affinity for United has not diminished and the 32-year-old revealed this week that a painful experience from his first spell at Bramall Lane remains his biggest football regret.
Asked which event in his life he would most like to return to as part of an England ‘If I could…’ series, Walker chose the 2009 play-off final against Burnley at Wembley, when he started as a youngster but United lost 1-0 and missed out on promotion to the Premier League. “Throughout that season, we were the better team out of the two but it was a good Wade Elliott goal that nestled into the back of the net and we didn’t get promoted,” Walker said.
“So if I could play one game again, knowing what I know now, it would be Sheffield United v Burnley. I grew up in Sheffield, I played for Sheffield United since I was six until I signed for Tottenham at the age of 19 so they have a special place in my heart, like everyone knows. And if I had to go back for one game to rewrite history, it would be that game.”
Promotion to the Premier League would have likely meant the sales of Naughton and Walker, for a combined fee of around £8m that will have been chicken feed for a club of Spurs’ stature, were not necessary and United fans would have seen a lot more of the pair. Instead, both departed and two years later, the Blades were relegated to League One.
