A Future Without Vincent Kompany?

It saddens Manchester City fans to even consider this question. Vincent Kompany is our captain and leader and when he plays, the defence always seems more solid and better organised. He has led the team to two Premier League trophies and has cemented his legacy at the club.

According to Physioroom.com, Kompany has been sidelined for a total of 878 days from 37 injuries since joining City from Hamburg in 2008. Kompany used to be the rock in the heart of City’s team but now it appears he is made of glass. His latest injury which is estimated to keep him out for four to six weeks will mean he has been injured for 260 days this calendar year. This terrible run is hard to ignore and fans must wonder if Kompany will ever have a decent run in the team again.

Pep Guardiola was clearly concerned about Kompany’s injury woes when he arrived to manage the team this summer. He allegedly attempted to sign Aymeric Laporte and Leonardo Bonnuci without success. Guardiola was able to get his wish in his pursuit of John Stones, but the fact that he attempted to sign other centre backs would suggest he is not convinced Kompany could return to his best.

When City fans think of Kompany, an image of a strapping six-foot-four colossus of a man comes to mind. But this image has been shattered with news of his apparent lack of confidence dealing with the double blows of repeated injuries and losing the captaincy for his beloved national team in Belgium. We see him as one of our own, a converted Mancunian who even married local lass Carla Higgs, a lifelong City fan in 2011.

Ultimately it will be Guardiola’s decision what happens to Kompany but the manager must now realise he can’t rely on the Belgian anymore and must act in the transfer window as soon as possible to provide competition for Stones and Otamendi. Kompany has been an outstanding servant to the club and the thought of him playing for anyone else will surely be too painful for many City fans. At only 30 years old, he still has time on his side but it remains to be seen whether Kompany’s body and mind can recover from the toll of these past injuries.

If he can remain injury-free for a continuous period of time, he could still be a huge asset to the club and with three years still remaining on his contract it is going to be a tough decision by City to allow our legendary skipper to leave.