England international Walker has moved into a five-star luxury hotel – which comes with a £2,200 a night price tag – after sealing a loan transfer to San Siro from Premier League champions Manchester City. He is yet to be joined in Italy on a permanent basis by his wife Kilner and their four children.

That is because no fixed abode has been arranged. Walker will be heading back to Cheshire on a regular basis as a result, while Kilner has already attended his debut for the Rossoneri. There is plenty of time to be filled between those reunions.

Walker has been doing his best to avoid the spotlight, having generated plenty of unwelcome headlines in his homeland for fathering two children with former Love Island contestant Lauryn Goodman – who is said to be planning her own move to Italy.

According to staff at the Melia Hotel, Walker is shunning nights out in favour of casual dining behind closed doors. One employee has told The Sun: “When I think of Walker I think of olives. He just loves eating olives. He comes to the bar often. He doesn’t drink beer or anything like that. I’ve only seen him with a friend he hangs out with. I don’t know what is going on behind the door in his room but he is behaving by the looks of things.”

Walker and Kilner, who have been fighting to save their marriage, had been hoping to escape the drama that Goodman continues to generate. Leaving England was supposed to provide them with a fresh start, but there are clearly still issues for them to address before happy families can be played once more.