Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Kompany still has a role to play says City boss
PEP Guardiola has allayed fears over Vincent Kompany’s condition and said the Belgian would have a role at Manchester City next season.
The injury-plagued City captain was an unused substitute for Saturday’s Premier League win over Hull after making his long-awaited return to the side at Chelsea last Wednesday.
The 31-year-old has made just seven appearances i n another frustrating campaign but, although there was a minor setback after the Stamford Bridge outing, Guardiola is confident the defender is back up to speed.
Asked if Kompany would ever be able to play two games a week again, Guardiola said: “He can do that, hopefully, in the next period, in the future. He can do that.
“But after the game against Chelsea he reacted to that, had problems with the leg, and we didn’t want to take a risk.
“Of course the good news was he could play 90 minutes, a tough game at Stamford Bridge and he played at a high, high level. What we have seen these two or three days is he’s ready for the next game.”
Kompany’s lack of game time under Guardiola has led to speculation that one of the most influential players of the club’s successful recent history could move on in the summer.
But asked if Kompany would still be in his plans next season, Guardiola said: “Yes, he has a contract.”
Similarly, Guardiola rebuffed a question about whether goalkeeper Joe Hart could have his loan at Torino extended. He said: “At the end of the season we are going to speak about the players who are under contract next year.”