Pep Guardiola’s hidden ‘inner anguish’ following Kyle Walker’s Man City bombshell

THE MIRROR 

That’s it, then. If what Pep Guardiola says is true, then Kyle Walker and Manchester City are done.

The veteran defender, 34, is eager to pursue a move abroad some 18 months after seeing a switch to Bayern Munich blocked. And given the England star has been a fine servant to the Premier League champions, it’s hard to see them standing in his way.

Guardiola’s bombshell somewhat soured the mood in the aftermath of Saturday night’s 8-0 rout of Salford City in the FA Cup.

But what does the Catalan coach really make of Walker’s desire for a transfer? We asked body language expert Judi James for her take, which is below.

“Guardiola is running two sets of non-verbal signals here,” says James. “The performed gestures that look intended to suggest Kyle’s desire to leave the team is no big deal, and then his micro-gestures and his non-verbal ‘leakage’ that imply the opposite.

“The most dramatic leakage comes when Walker’s name first comes up in the press conference. Until this point Guardiola is looking convivial, with a smiling expression, thanks to the 8-0 win.

“When he’s asked why there is no Kyle Walker in the squad his expression changes to a dramatic gurn. His tongue has been curled up inside his mouth, licking his upper lip in a gesture that suggests he is savoring the taste of victory. But at this mention of Walker’s name the tongue retreats into his mouth, his low jaw juts out, displaying his lower line of teeth, and those teeth bite upward into his top lip…