Kyle Walker was excluded from another Manchester City match as he seeks a transfer from the club. Last week, the captain approached sporting director Txiki Begiristain to discuss the possibility of playing abroad for the last year of his career, resulting in his omission from the matchday squad for the FA Cup victory against Salford City. Pep Guardiola mentioned that he chose to exclude Walker from the team following the transfer request, but did not confirm whether this marked the end of Walker’s career at City. When asked if Walker could be selected again, Guardiola indicated that it would depend on developments in the transfer market. Before the match against Brentford, the manager mentioned that Walker could be part of the team if he performs well in training on Monday. “We’ll make a decision after training.” “I stand by my words and I won’t provide any further comments,” Guardiola stated. “I don’t have anything else, and I’m focused on Brentford.” However, the experienced defender was absent from the 21-man team that arrived in West London for an important Premier League match. Matheus Nunes is starting his second consecutive match at right-back, and Guardiola has expressed satisfaction with his available options in case Walker departs this month. Additionally, City has reached agreements for two young center-backs to join this month: Abdukodir Khusanov will come from Lens, and Vitor Reis will arrive from Palmeiras once their transfers are finalized. The Blues aim to secure three consecutive Premier League victories for the first time since October, but they are up against a Brentford team that has earned 22 of their 27 points at home this season.
