Nathan Aké has stated that Manchester City will miss Kyle Walker “massively” if he leaves in the winter window after the 34-year-old told the club he wanted to do so.

Following City’s 8-0 FA Cup third round win over Salford City on Saturday, Pep Guardiola revealed the defender had been left out of the matchday squad after asking on Thursday to “explore the option” to play abroad. Milan are interested in signing Walker, although a move to Saudi Arabia is not currently seen as an option.

Aké was asked if Walker’s leadership would be a loss. “Solid. He is a big player for us, a big character,” said the Dutchman. “He’s a good guy too, I’m very good friends with him. Let’s see what happens. There is no doubt he was a great player for us.”

Since joining from Tottenham for £45m in July 2017, Walker has won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

“He’s been a big factor for us over the years,” Ake said. “A big character in the squad this year too.” He deserves a lot of praise for all the years in which he was a top player for this club.”

City’s win over Salford included a goal from 19-year-old Nico O’Reilly, who played at left-back, and a hat-trick from attacking midfielder James McAtee, who is 22. Divin Mubama, a 20-year-old striker signed from West Ham in August, also scored. 20-year-old Rico Lewis, an unused substitute, has recently become first-choice right-back ahead of Walker.

Aké described these players as an indication that Guardiola is introducing the next generation at City. “We have a good mix of young players,” he said. “Look (against Salford), there are a lot of young players. We also have older players, so there is a good mix at the moment and the club has always done a good job of finding the right balance between the age groups. I am sure they will continue to do so.”