England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed he twice had to convince Kyle Walker to rethink international retirement.
The 33-year-old scored his first England goal in Saturday’s 1-1 Euro 2024 qualifier draw against Ukraine in Wroclaw.
It topped a fine performance from the Manchester City right-back, whose future for both club and country was uncertain over the summer.
Only an intervention from City boss Pep Guardiola saw Walker stay at the Etihad Stadium after Bayern Munich overtures almost saw him depart for Germany.
Now Southgate has told of how he also had to change Walker’s mind after both the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy and last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
“I’ve talked him out of retirement twice – out of international footba…