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Walker reveals the real reason why he joined Man City from Spurs

  /  borismok

The England international joined Man City from Spurs in 2017

Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker has opened up on his Tottenham Hotspur exit in the summer of 2017.

The England international became one of the most expensive defenders in Premier League history when he swapped north London for the Etihad Stadium for a fee understood to be in the region of £45m.

His move was justified as he was part of a City squad which won the league as well as the Carabao Cup last season, while his former club ended the campaign trophyless once again despite plenty of progress.

Much has been said about Walker's exit. Mainly from Spurs supporters and manager Mauricio Pochettino.

In his book published last year, the Argentine tactician accused Walker of showing an 'alarming lack of respect to his team-mates' by asking to leave the club towards the end of the 2016-17 season and maintains that was the only reason why he was sold.

However, Walker's version of events are quite different and admits to being hurt by Pochetino's comments.

"He told me I wasn't in his plans," said Walker in an interview with the Daily Mail . "I was hurt a lot by that. He said his door was always open and I thought it was a private meeting we had. So I kept quiet but then he went and wrote about it... or his version of it.

"If he was going to do that he might as well have called a press conference and told everyone. He told one side of the story, but it's a side of a story I don't agree with.

"He said he had a witness in there, but he didn't tell the correct story, no way. Up until now I have never said my part. I have stayed quiet and showed a level of respect to Tottenham and I always will.

"The manager gave me my chance to showcase my talent. But people don't know the ins and outs of everything and it is about time I told people what happened from my side."

Despite this, Walker still maintains that he owes a debt of gratitude to Pochettino for helping to turn him into one of the best full-backs in Europe.

"Maurico was fantastic for me," Walker added. "I was young, needed to improve and he improved me.

"He taught me to look after myself, eat right and rest. I will never forget how much he did."