Kyle Walker has revealed that his ‘heart kicked in’ when Dele – playing his first match in more than two years – was shown a red card against AC Milan. The England star felt compelled to plead to the official not to send off his long-time friend, who earned his marching orders just 10 minutes into his return.
Dele was making his debut for Como at the San Siro after enduring a difficult period off the pitch in recent years. The 28-year-old fell out of favour at Tottenham before failing to reignite his career at Everton amid a series of injuries and off-field issues.
After being offered the chance to train under Cesc Fabregas in Italy, Dele convinced the side he was worth a contract until 2026. The former Milton Keynes youngster, who has scored 51 Premier League goals, returned to the bench for Como against Monza but did not feature after serving his suspension.
And Walker, who considers Dele a friend, admitted he was put in an usual situation when the Como star was shown red. The full-back noted he would be happy to see the opposition down to 10 men, but Dele’s journey played on his mind.
Speaking on the Kyle Walker podcast, he said: “I think my heart kicked in. Anyone else, I would have just let him get sent off. Especially a man down at the San Siro, you think, okay, we go and do what we’ve got to do.
“I know what he’s tried to do. We’ve all done it where you just clip the ankles of someone and they don’t get the counter attack. But maybe where he’s not played for a couple of years and is out of the rhythm of the game and everything like that, he’s caught Ruben (Loftus-Cheek) a little bit too high. And that was it.
“Of course, I think in footballing terms, we need ten men. We want the ten men, AC Milan want the ten men. But for the personal relationship that I have with Dele, for the number of years that I’ve known Dele, for what he’s been through — which obviously he’s publicly said and I think he’s been very strong and open about that and very brave in coming out and saying what he said — to finally come back after such a long time of being out, to then get sent off for a not really cynical challenge. I think your heart just kicks in, as I said at the start.
“I went to see him after because he’s a great friend of mine. And he was down, he was disappointed.
“He was frustrated with himself for the decision. But there were no hard feelings from Ruben (Loftus-Cheek). I think they actually got a plane on the way back home (to England) together. That was the rumour.
“Dele came to the dressing room after (to see Ruben). He was hugging. It’s just football. We move on from it. And you know, Dele has to move on from it, very quickly, to make sure that he’s back to where he needs to be.
“I know how hard he (Dele) has worked, especially off the field. And then to get his chance now at Como, I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s a good club. Good league for him to try and regenerate and revive his career — and I will say I don’t think his career was by any means dead and buried.”
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