Kyle Walker injury reopens old wounds for Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has sparked a fresh club-versus-country row after Kyle Walker returned from recent international duty injured.

The right-back missed Manchester City’s victory at Wolves on Sunday and will be sidelined for Wednesday’s Champions League game against Sparta Prague after sustaining a knee problem in England’s defeat of Finland last week.

It has brought back bad memories for Guardiola of the frustration he felt – with the national team and even the players themselves – after both Walker and John Stones were injured playing for England in March.

Indeed, in the latter’s case, Guardiola said he had never been so angry as he was after Stones limped out of England’s friendly against Belgium with an adductor problem.

That came at a crucial stage of City’s season as they chased the treble and with a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid looming.

The centre-back was an unused substitute for City’s next two games and did return to face Real, but he had a curtailed involvement in the remainder of the campaign.

City manager Guardiola said: “I was never so angry as that moment. Never ever before was I so disappointed.

“It was a friendly game and we are playing the quarter-finals against Real Madrid, and to win the Premier League.

“For a friendly game, two players coming back injured – (tuts) no, no, no. I didn’t like it, at all.

“I know the players don’t want to get injured, I always encourage them to go to the national team, it’s a pleasure.

“But if it’s a friendly game you cannot come back injured, I’m sorry. If you are focused, if it is a friendly game, you cannot come back injured when you are playing the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

“We are well paid here. The club pay us, not the national teams.