Like so many at Manchester City before him, Kyle Walker has been dealing with the disappointment of being dropped for the biggest occasions and the moral quandary over his future.
Should Walker call time on a six-year spell at the Etihad this summer, then his absence from the starting line-up in the Champions League final earlier this month will go down as a defining moment. Having been one of City's best players in the previous knockout rounds against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, the decision to bench him was both brave and ruthless from Pep Guardiola.
The City boss admitted last month dropping players is the hardest part of his job, something that 'kills' him. But in having one of the best squads around, those decisions have to be made and Walker has tended to bear the brunt.
Guardiola claimed Walker's absence was purely tactical in April, but it made it no less cutting to hear that the defender cannot cope with his tactical demands. "He cannot do it," the City boss said. "He will always have pace, he will be the fastest in this room at 60. To play inside you have to make some movements, he has other characteristics."
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The comments sparked a response from Walker, who opened up on the 'hurt' of being dropped by his manager.
"I have to react as a professional, he is my manager, my boss, sometimes some opinions in football you don’t always agree with but what he has done for me and Man City has been nothing short of tremendous," Walker admitted of those comments.
"Did it hurt? Of course it did. You start to doubt yourself but you have to go back to basics to what he bought you for and prove him wrong and that is what I have done. I am one of the captains, have to make sure my disappointment isn’t shown."
At 33 years old and with one major contract likely to come his way, Walker is understandably considering where his future beyond this summer lies. A treble-winning season may be the ideal time to walk into the sunset, and an offer from Bayern Munich to be a regular starter would tempt many.
Reports on Monday evening, however, suggested it might not be the end just yet, with Sky Sports suggesting the veteran full-back may sign that final contract at City and fight for his place in Guardiola's plans.
Guardiola was at the other end of the debate back in 2020, with Walker finding himself edged out of Gareth Southgate's England plans. Seen as an overly-defensive option and with the trio of Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold all ahead of him, the experienced defender looked to be on his way out of the international setup.
"Kyle, it is a big challenge for him to show the manager from England [Southgate] how good he is," Guardiola said at a pre-match press conference three years ago.
"Our life in sports is about challenge, about duels, targets, and he has one in front of him in every single game to show how good he is to come back into the team".
"He came as an incredible, outstanding player and still is an outstanding player. Physicality, strong, fast, and we try to help him to be better since we were together."
Those words will become even more pertinent over the summer, with Walker either fighting for his place in Guardiola's plans or moving on. Bouncing back from the hurt of that criticism could prove decisive in deciding where he plays his football come August.
