Vincent Kompany could walk past his statue at the Etihad Stadium on his way to the away dressing room for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final as the former Manchester City captain returns as Burnley boss.
Winner of four Premier League titles in his 11-year playing career at City, Kompany will forever be synonymous with the club’s transformation from ‘noisy neighbours’ living in the shadow of Manchester United into the dominant force in English football.
But Kompany, who captained City, is also making a name for himself as a manager.
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The 36-year-old will almost certainly bring Burnley back to the Etihad next season in the Premier League with the Clarets racing towards promotion from the Championship.
Many feared the worst when a six-year stint in the English top flight came to an end last season.
Due to the terms of a controversial takeover by a US consortium at the end of 2020, a ‘significant proportion’ of a £65m ($78m) loan had to be repaid when they been relegated.
Nearly £70m of players left as Nick Pope, Dwight McNeil, Nathan Collins and Maxwel Cornet were signed by Premier League clubs, while two stalwarts of the club’s stay in the top flight, Ben Mee and James Tarkowski, remained free. transfers.
But the decision to act quickly to land Kompany after his first stint at Anderlecht ended proved a masterstroke.
– ‘Written in the stars’ –
Kompany have assembled an almost entirely new team at a relatively low price, their knowledge of the Belgian market and connections to City helping to land some good deals.
Burnley’s only defeat in their last 23 games came at Manchester United in the League Cup in December.
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They have a 19-point cushion in the promotion race and a 13-point lead over second-placed Sheffield United in the Championship.
Kompany’s success caught the eye of his former boss, Pep Guardiola.
“I think his destiny as manager of Manchester City is already written in the stars,” Guardiola said after the teams were paired in the FA Cup last eight draw.
“He has the attributes – work ethic, knowledge of the game, respected, experienced.
“Doing what he’s done is so hard and he’s doing really well. He knows the club, the environment, the fans, what our people need. Destiny is there. »
Guardiola’s current contract runs until 2025 but Kompany is less convinced he is the natural successor.
“I think City should always have the best manager in the world, and that’s not me,” he told the BBC.
“My goal is that I look forward to meeting better managers – I live for that. My greatest strength is that if I fail, I get back up, I come back stronger – and that process is more important to me now. »
Kompany and his side will face the ultimate test of their standing this weekend as they aim to end City’s hopes of equaling United’s treble of the 1998/99 Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
But even if they fail, there is some consolation that a return to taking on some of the best in the world on a weekly basis should only be a few months away.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
