Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has questioned Manchester City’s decision to allow Kyle Walker to leave the club during the January transfer window.
The former City captain joined Italian giants AC Milan in January after several years at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Rooney believes the experienced defender could still have made an important contribution to Pep Guardiola’s side for the remainder of the season.
City have endured a difficult campaign and are still competing for success in the Champions League, making Rooney believe Walker could have remained useful to the squad.
Rooney said on Amazon Prime:
There’s always a time when players leave the football club, and I think at this moment in time, with Man City going through this blip they are going through, and Kyle Walker being the captain of the club, and the importance of him over the last few years, I think, probably an agreement to say, ‘Okay, let’s wait till the summer. Help us out’.
Rooney drew on his own experience of leaving Manchester United in January, recalling how Jose Mourinho asked him to stay until the end of the season to help the team in the Europa League.
I had it with Mourinho. When I wasn’t playing with Jose Mourinho, and I had the same conversation in January, and he said to me, ‘stay to the end of season, I need you to help us in the Europa League’
Rooney believes a similar arrangement could have benefited both Walker and City.
