PREMIER LEAGUE
Pep Guardiola says former captain Vincent Kompany is ‘destined’ to manage Manchester City
The current Manchester City boss spoke highly of the former player, saying he will surely have a role at the club in the future
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes that former captain Vincent Kompany, now the current manager of Burnley in the EFL Championship, is “destined” to manage Manchester City one day. The Spaniard was speaking at the pre-match press conference before Manchester City’s Premier League game against Newcastle United tomorrow, Saturday 4 March (7:30 a.m. ET).
Kompany as City boss is ‘written in the stars’
Manchester City beat Bristol City 0-3 in the FA Cup Fifth Round, and the magic of the cup set them up against Kompany’s Burnley in the Quarter Final stage. Guardiola was excited about the prospect of facing his old player, with whom he worked between 2016 and 2019, before the Belgian’s retirement as a footballer.
“His destiny to be Man City boss is written in the stars,” said Guardiola when asked about Vincent Kompany as a manager, “sooner or later he will be manager here. It is going to happen. I don’t know when, but it is going to happen. It’s my feeling.”
Burnley are on the road to success
The Championship is England’s second division, and it is a notoriously difficult league to get out of, given the fact that there are 24 teams, the majority of which are of a reasonably similar level. Neither promotion nor relegation is guaranteed for any team, but neither is safety, even for the best.
Burnley sit top of the league after 34 games, having lost just 2 all season; Kompany has also rejuvenated their playing style, moving from a rigid, battling style regularly associated with the club to a more fluid, possession-based style of football.
Guardiola acxkonledged the difficulty of the league and praised Kompany and his side: “the consistency they are showing is unbelievable,” said Guardiola. “I am impressed, the Championship is difficult for the amount of games. They are close to promotion again to the Premier League and I am delighted for him personally for his success at Burnley. I think all of us, as fans, will be happy for him to be back.”
The FA Cup quarter-finals take place on the weekend of 18-19 March and will be covered live on AS USA.