Man City star Kyle Walker doubles down on Sheffield United return dream amid damning verdict on current season

Kyle Walker has doubled down on his dream to return to Sheffield United before calling time on his illustrious playing career. The Manchester City star signed a new deal at the Etihad in the summer and is gunning for an unprecedented double-treble this time around.

City are still in the running for silverware on three fronts this season but Walker also has half an eye on the future, hoping for an emotional homecoming to Bramall Lane. The path to trophies, England caps, fame and fortune began for him in Sheffield, his home city, before Tottenham Hotspur prised him away after just seven senior appearances for the Blades.

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Walker has been vocal about his desire to come back to Bramall Lane before but reiterated the dream on the latest edition of Rio Ferdinand's Five podcast recently. Walker was linked with the Blades in the summer after their promotion but it was never realistically on the cards, with German giants Bayern Munich waiting in the wings if he called time on his time at the Etihad. Instead he signed a new deal to take him to 36 years old at City and was asked on the podcast whether moving to Saudi Arabia was something that would ever interest him.

"I’m very close to Riyad [Mahrez, who left City for Al-Ahli last summer]. He was one of my good friends when he was here. Listen, I’ll never say never. The money they are paying is obviously a massive factor in why these players are going out there. I think for Ronaldo to go out there, he changed or he opened the pathway for everyone to go there.

"I think if they keep attracting the players that they’re attracting, the league’s going to get better. So then why wouldn’t you want to go? But for me the Premier League is definitely the best league in the world, so I want to compete at this league for as long as possible for as high as possible before anything else. I’ve always said, as long as my legs are are going and I still feel that I can contribute at a certain level, then I want to contribute.

"I don’t want to drop down too low because, no disrespect, but I feel the lower it gets, I think it gets harder. Certain things that you have the luxury of at City, whether facilities, nutrition, this, that or the other. But I’d like to finish at Sheffield United. That’s something that I would actually like to do.

"I was there from such a young age until that until I went to Tottenham and I only played five [league] games before I went to Tottenham, and then went back on loan for half a season. So I think I’ve got like 35 games and I'd like to go for as long as possible, to give back or even pass on my experience to the younger players that are coming through or players that are there then. If I can do that, then I’d like to, yeah."

Walker was then asked his view on United's current struggle, with the Blades sitting bottom of the Premier League table and 10 points adrift of safety with 10 games remaining. "Jesus Christ," the 33-year-old said. "They need a miracle, don't they?"