KYLE WALKER has revealed he was intimidated by “big characters” in England’s class of 2011 when he joined the Three Lions.
The Manchester City right-back admitted when he first got called up to play for his country he felt he “didn’t deserve to be there”.
AFPKyle Walker has confessed he was intimidated by ‘big characters’ when he joined the Three Lions[/caption]
Walker, 33, is now the oldest member of the Three Lions having made 78 appearances for England.
The veteran admitted he has been talked out of international retirement twice in the last month by boss Gareth Southgate.
And the right-back claimed he simply could not walk away from the England squad now.
But life was a bit different when Walker first joined the team in 2011 at the age of 19 and revealed he was intimidated by the other England stars.
Walker said: “I’ve been here when it was tough to come to England.
“When I got my call-up, I was at Aston Villa, I’d been at Tottenham for six months and I didn’t know anyone there.
“I didn’t feel like I deserved to be there at the time. I was young, I’d just come on the scene at the Premier League.
“I’d got into the England team and I probably ostracised myself rather than them not talking to me.
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“There were big characters, it was tough to try to spark a conversation with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry.”
“Glen Johnson, Rio, John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney. You are looking at all of these players and you were a 19-year-old boy coming into a team. It was hard.”
When Walker made his debut for the Three Lions he had just moved to Aston Villa on loan for Tottenham.
And the Man City star revealed he felt lonely at times when out on England duty.
He continued: “Obviously, to represent your country is always going to be an honour but those days when you’re in the hotels and no one talks to you, it was hard.
“I went to Aston Villa and the only person that I kind of really knew was Jack Wilshere. I was mainly talking to Ashley Young, Nigel Reo-Coker, Emile Heskey and Stewart Downing.
“I had team-mates from Tottenham at the table across from me, I was at their team but they didn’t know me because I’d gone on loan to Sheffield United, QPR and Aston Villa.”
Now having played for his country for 12 years, Walker no longer has to worry about feeling left out.
And since Southgate’s takeover Walker is keen that the hierarchy within the squad has been demolished.
He added: “I would hate for any of the younger ones to feel they couldn’t speak to any of the experienced ones.
“I know there’s no hierarchy, there’s no ‘he’s above’ or ‘he needs to get on the treatment bed first’; it’s first come, first served.
“If I was to see it [hierarchy], I wouldn’t have it because you want to feel that it’s an honour already to play for your country and you want to enjoy it, you don’t want to come here and feel like it’s a chore.
“To any of the younger players coming through, I say, ‘If you ever need me, give me a shout’.”
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