Kyle Walker’s bold prediction for his loan spell at AC Milan has backfired spectacularly after the Italian giants were dumped out of the Champions League.

Walker arrived at the San Siro from Manchester City on a loan deal in the January transfer window. Milan have the option to sign the 34-year-old permanently at the end of the season for around £4.2million.

The Englishman had struggled at City this term, though had previously played a key role when they won the Champions League in 2023. And speaking upon his arrival in Milan, Walker set out his ambition to win another European title.

“Obviously I spoke with Zlatan (Ibrahimovic), he explained lots of different things to me, he told me about the great things we’re trying to achieve here. We talked about the Super Cup, which was a good start,” he said.

“It’s not perfect in terms of the league, but there’s still a chance in the Champions League. I hope to contribute with my experience and leadership and to help Milan return to where it wants to be. Winning the Champions League would be a dream come true: I have experienced it in a great final with City.”

But those dreams were dashed on Tuesday when Milan were dumped out by Feyenoord at the play-off stage. The Italians wiped out the Dutch side’s 1-0 first leg lead just one minute in when Santiago Gimenez tapped home against the club he left in the January window.

Milan dominanted throughout but Theo Hernandez’s sending off six minutes into the second-half turned the game in Feyenoord’s favour. Hernandez was sent for an early bath after picking up two bookings, with his second being for a particularly acgrious attempt at a dive.

With Milan down to 10 men, Feyenoord took full advantage and won the tie 17 minutes from time through Julian Carranza’s header. Walker played all 90 minutes but was left with his dreams in tatters as boss Sérgio Conceição fumed at his side.

“The disappointment is huge, we are all angry. We knew we were stronger. We made a mistake in Rotterdam and we prepared this one to win: we didn’t see how they could get to our goal, and we missed the second goal on several occasions,” he said.

“We are also to blame and now we have to think about the league. We have to be stronger and work harder. We played for a long time without a man in Zagreb and today: Theo’s red card changed the game, up until that moment they hadn’t created a chance.

“Today is a defeat for me. In the previous years, I made the round of 16 five times in six years with Porto: I made so many mistakes that you can’t imagine. My players also make mistakes, but the face of this elimination belongs to Sergio Conceicao and not Theo.

“There are definitely many things to improve on. Sometimes being emotionally strong is the main thing. I understand the pressure of these big clubs and internally there is this work to be done: externally the environment doesn’t help the players either.”

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