Ian Holloway believes Manchester City should get rid of Kyle Walker and has called on Gareth Southgate not to pick the defender again for England after he broke lockdown restrictions last week.
Walker issued an apology at the weekend after it was revealed he invited a friend and two escorts to his house for a ‘sex party’ last Tuesday, with the ill-advised soiree going against the Government’s social distancing regulations that are in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Walker’s actions mirrored that of Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, who was also forced to apologise after he attended a friend’s flat believed to belong to former teammate Ross McCormack the previous weekend, despite the British public not to have any interaction with people from other households.
Walker was also caught up in a second incident at the weekend, with former England captain Wayne Rooney reported to have been warned by police after he met up with the Manchester City defender while out on a walk with his family.
City are investigating Walker’s actions and he is expected to receive a heavy fine and reprimand for his actions, but current Grimsby Town manager Holloway believes that his defiance of the Government regulations should be enough for the defending Premier League champions to sell Walker as soon as possible – particularly in light of the tragic news that manager Pep Guardiola lost his mother Dolors Sala on Monday after she contracted coronavirus.
“First off I’d like to send my love and best wishes to Pep as he’s lost his mum,” Holloway told Talksport. “The reality of that and then you have one of your players (Walker), it’s almost brainless. What on earth are you doing having a party like that? It’s bang out of order. I’d be looking to get him out of the club, that’s not right and it’s so irresponsible.
“You end up believing in your hype and you think you can control the world.”
Holloway added that 48-cap England international should never play for the Three Lions again, claiming that it goes completely against what is expected of a national team player.
“Totally. It beggars belief,” he said. “Where’s the discipline? Where’s the actual discipline?”
The former Blackpool and Queens Park Rangers boss believes that the actions of Walker and Grealish show how the current climate has shown the world has its priorities wrong – particularly when it comes to the wages paid to those who are making the difference during the coronavirus crisis.
“It’s so disrespectful to generations and generations who fought for us, it’s all wrong,” he said of those who continue to go out.
“I think the world is upside down, the top money should not be paid to entertainers, but the people keeping us safe on the frontline and the Government need to make sure these doctors and nurses are paid the top money so people want to do that for real.”
.The Independent
