G-Owen to get Messi without a new Vinnie
OWEN HARGREAVES has told Manchester City to ditch their plan to lure Lionel Messi to the Etihad – and sign a replacement for Vincent Kompany instead.
Former England star Hargreaves believes Messi may be about to force his departure from Barcelona in the aftermath of the Catalan club’s 8-2 Champions League humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich.
And Pep Guardiola would love to link up again with the Argentina genius, 33, in Manchester.
But Hargreaves – a Champions Leag League winner with Manchester United in 2 2008 – feels Guardiola must focus o on finding a replacement for Kompany if he is going to turn City into European champions.
He said: “I’m sure Pep would take Messi in a heartbeat – but the reality is that he needs to find the new Vincent Kompany.
“City need a defensive leader like Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool, someone who can make or break a game in the tight moments. Kompany used to do that for them.
“The problem for City is that no team wins the Champions League without a world-class defence.
“If you can’t deal with pressure at certain moments in the game then you are going to be found out.”
City’s shock 3-1 quarter-final defeat at the hands of Lyon has once again led to criticism that Guardiola cannot win the Champions League without Messi.
But Hargreaves added: “Pep will get criticised for losing to Lyon but he knows better than anyone what he needs. He needs a new Vinnie.”
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VINCENT KOMPANY’S plans to manage Anderlecht are in the balance after it emerged the ex-Man City defender still doesn’t have his UEFA Pro Licence. Kompany, 34, announced his retirement as a player earlier this month to take sole charge. He returned to Anderlecht as player-manager at the start of last season but the Brussels club were fined £4,500 – and Kompany given a six-month window in order to get his badges.