England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed he had to convince Kyle Walker to not retire from international duty twice.

The Manchester City right-back scored his first goal for the Three Lions in a 1-1 draw against Ukraine.

Walker is very much first choice under Southgate at present, but had to be convinced of his worth to England on more than one occasion.

“I've talked him out of retirement from international football twice," said the England manager to reporters.

“After the Euros (in 2020) and after the World Cup (last year). I think he loves being here and he's wanted to keep going and now he's thinking about how many caps can he get.

“He's critical to us. If we're talking about world class players in their position in our team then he's probably one of them.

'He didn't realize how much value we have for him and how important he is for us."