Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has ended speculation about his future by signing a new two-year contract extension.
The England full-back, who joined City in 2017, was close to joining Bayern Munich in the summer but has now committed to the club until the summer of 2026.
Walker, whose previous deal was set to expire at the end of the season, has enjoyed a fine week which also included his first international goal on the event of his 77th cap, in the 1-1 draw with Ukraine.
The defender said: “I’m thrilled to sign a new deal. My future is with Manchester City and that is the best thing for me.
“I’ve enjoyed every single moment of the past six years at this fantastic club. I have an amazing coach, great teammates and staff, and our fans are the best. I feel supported on every single level."
The 33-year-old played 39 games across all competitions last season as the club won a treble, including their first ever Champions League title.
He said that the offer to continue with a team now winning almost every competition in which it participates was impossible to turn down.
“It's the team," Walker said when asked for his reasons. "I think that in this team there's something special.
"Obviously, just coming back after an amazing high of last season in winning the treble and finally getting the Champions League, which is the one trophy that we didn't have as a as a group and as collectively, I wanted to go and do it again.
"The lads have got that hunger again to go and achieve something really special again this season, fingers crossed. So I wanted to be a part of it and I didn't want to miss out on that.”
After their record-breaking season, the Premier League champions have overseen a sizeable churn in their all-conquering playing staff. Notably, they lost influential players like Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, before emerging talent Cole Palmer departed for Chelsea.
However, they have been boosted by the arrival of experienced campaigner Mateo Kovacic who moved the other way from Stamford Bridge, Premier League-ready Matheus Nunes from Wolves and high-potential talents Josko Gvardiol, from RB Leipzig, and Jeremy Doku, from Rennes.
Walker added: “The players that we lost, my good gosh, what great players. Obviously Gundo. Even Cole. To see the talent and mark him is difficult and he's going to be some hell of a player.
"Riyad has proved for many years just what he can do and his qualities. But I feel that the players that we've brought in, we've got Josko who is a Rolls-Royce of a centre-back the age that he is and the quality that he shows on the ball and with the manager, I feel the world's his oyster basically.
"Kovacic has four Champions Leagues. What more do I say? He's not inexperienced. He's been in these high-pressure games before. So I feel that he can add something where he's won it and he's won it again. So we haven't done that so he can bring his experience to that front.
"Matheus, I saw him at Old Trafford when Man United played Wolves and I said to Bernardo [Silva] and Ruben [Dias], ‘this guy's alright’. Lo and behold, two weeks later, he's in the building. So I feel that it's been a great transfer window.
"I feel that we've got the positions and the players in the right areas that we needed. And then Jeremy, obviously quick, raw and with Pep's guidance again and sharpening up on a few certain things which he probably knows that he needs to bring to his game, I think he's going to be fantastic and a great season for, all of them. And hopefully as a team, as a collective.”
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WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
Welterweight
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)
(Unanimous points decision)
Catchweight 75kg
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)
(Second round knockout)
Flyweight (female)
Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
(RSC in third round)
Featherweight
Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki
(Disqualification)
Lightweight
Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)
(Unanimous points)
Featherweight
Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)
(TKO first round)
Catchweight 69kg
Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)
(First round submission by foot-lock)
Catchweight 71kg
Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
(TKO round 1).
Featherweight title (5 rounds)
Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
(TKO round 1).
Lightweight title (5 rounds)
Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)
(RSC round 2).
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: N2 Technology
Founded: 2018
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Startups
Size: 14
Funding: $1.7m from HNIs
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
Fourth-round clashes for British players
- Andy Murray (1) v Benoit Paire, Centre Court (not before 4pm)
- Johanna Konta (6) v Caroline Garcia (21), Court 1 (4pm)