I don’t take a risk with Kompany, no club in the world can say I take risks with my players.
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“We play very offensive football at City, which is ideal for him, but we want to show that with Belgium too, and it suits him”.
On his rehabilitation from the calf problem, Kompany added: “It’s going really well”. His influence and leadership quality will bring more strength and resilience to Pellegrini’s defense and with important fixtures against Sevilla and Manchester United coming up, the timing of Kompany’s return couldn’t have been any sweeter.
The 29-year-old has been out of action since limping out of City’s Champions League defeat against Juventus on September 15 with a calf injury and, having since missed five consecutive games for the club, had been warned by manager Pellegrini that he was not fit to play for his country during this global break. Belgium already secured automatic qualification to their first European championship finals since 2000 – a tournament they co-hosted – with a 4-1 win in Andorra on Saturday and City staff and fans will see it as an unnecessary risk.
“I trust my players and this game against Israel is not a charity match for us”.
And now Kompany has come out in defense of his decision to play for his national team by saying that the 57 minutes on the pitch have now made him ready to play for Manchester City again.
“I’ve not been in contact with Man City myself but the club are kept up to date with developments”.
Kompany was far from the only member of the Belgium team who was in high spirits.
“He has been working with the rest of the squad since Friday, and that’s good for Manchester City, but good for Belgium also”.
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Pellegrini has seen Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Aleksandar Kolarov all struck down with injuries during the worldwide break.
