Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he has concerns over whether club captain Vincent Kompany regain the form that made him of the best centre-backs in the world.
The last two seasons have been injury-plagued for Kompany, who is now 30, but the Belgian insists that he is still able to regain full fitness despite continuous setbacks.
Kompany last appeared for City in November when he hobbled off of the pitch with knee-ligament damage in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace – his 35th injury since moving to the Etihad in 2008.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s match against Everton, Guardiola suggested that Kompany may be available for selection soon but admitted that the skipper will need time if he is to reach his ‘top level’ again.
We can’t deny how good Vincent is, but to achieve that we need time,
Guardiola also encouraged Kompany to relive any pressure from himself and to concentrate on completing his comeback at his own pace.
What I would like is for him not to put a lot of pressure on himself. He has to feel that his manager and team-mates will give him the time he needs after a long time away from the pitch.
Kompany will, however, have to show Guardiola that reasonable progress is being made in the coming weeks if he wants to be included in the Champions League squad for the knockout stages of the competition.
