Serie A has given rise to some glorious debuts over the years. At Parma, Gigi Buffon kept out Roberto Baggio and George Weah, while Alvaro Recoba scored a brace against Brescia for Inter.

But a memorable bow in the Derby della Madonnina, one of the nation’s biggest matches? This could only be pulled off by someone with a distinguished football pedigree.

Enter Kyle Walker, the pacy, powerful running full-back who has won the Champions League, half a dozen Premier League titles and has represented England on 93 occasions.

Is there a predicament too big for Walker? Judging by his first interaction with the Italian press, the 34-year-old seems ready for the gargantuan task of facing Inter Milan this Sunday in what would be his first match for AC Milan since signing earlier in the week. And the former Manchester City defender welcomes the challenge.

“I want to show that I can make a difference in Italy as well as in England,” Walker said when unveiled at Casa Milan. “I wanted to experience something new, it was the right time and the right club for me.

Walker might be the right man at the right time for Rossoneri boss Sergio Conceicao. Refreshing the backline is, arguably, priority number one – the other is finding a striker – with Emerson Royal’s injury causing headaches and Davide Calabria rebelling, then being offloaded to Bologna.

Clearly, Walker has become Conceicao’s chosen one: former captain Calabria had to be separated from Conceicao following their heated argument at the completion of Milan’s comeback win over Parma.

Every player has their expiry date. Despite his symbolic importance for the club, having skippered the side to the Scudetto in 2022, Calabria started in just eight matches in all competitions this season, with Mike Maignan entrusted to taken over the captaincy.

Conceicao and Zlatan Ibrahimović identified Walker as the key reinforcement, with Filippo Terracciano as backup, and the pair would love nothing more than to be proven right against their eternal enemies on Sunday evening.

For Walker, it’s all about taking ownership of the situation. While many in England believe leaving Manchester might be a step down, the 34-year-old understands that representing one of Europe’s most revered football clubs is a privilege.

“I play football because of the passion and I want to win here with Milan,” the two-time European Championship finalist said. “I already played Inter, this year in the Champions League. They played with a low-block in Manchester, it was almost like a game of chess.”

If selected by Conceicao, Walker will hope his debut plays out similarly to Wesley Sneijder’s first match under Jose Mourinho at Inter.

Arriving for €15m from Real Madrid, Sneijder donned the Number10 shirt during the first Milan derby of the 2009-10 season, playing a pivotal role as Diego Milito, Thiago Motta, Maicon and Dejan Stankovic each netted in a 4-0 thrashing.

Milan had lost Paolo Maldini during the summer, with Kaka replacing Sneijder in the Spanish capital. Inter would soldier on to clinch the Scudetto by two points over Roma as the Rossoneri claimed third spot with then-manager Leonardo at the helm.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, much like Milan’s form. But just as nobody expected Inter to lose the Supercoppa Final, nor the reverse fixture back in September – indeed, we were there to see it – there is still hope for owners RedBird Capital and Gerry Cardinale to make history.

On the back of a demoralising loss to Fabio Cannavaro’s Dinamo Zagreb, can Walker help Milan beat Inter for the third consecutive time this season?

“I’m expecting an exciting match, they’ll be looking for revenge after the Supercoppa,” he said. “It will come down to our mindset, we have to try and give our all, for ourselves and the standings, also for our fans”. 

Not since the 2010-11 campaign have Milan prevailed over Inter in three successive matches, a nine-month domination which included a Supercoppa trophy. On that occasion, Sneijder put the Nerazzurri ahead, Ibrahimovic equalised, and Kevin Prince Boateng won it for Max Allegri’s side.

As we’ve seen already this season, anything can happen in the Derby. Inter were the favourites last September, and will be again on Sunday as they aim to chase down Napoli. Walker wants to help, and is ready to work.

“We need to improve in the league,” he added. “With my age and experience, I can lead the youngest players.”

Follow our socials this weekend as the Destination Calcio team hits Milan for the Derby della Madonnina.

Watch our latest podcast: Dan and Emmet join David to discuss foreign ownership in Serie A, including Milan’s ownership under RedBird Capital.