Kompany set to feature for Belgium despite Man City concerns

Manchester City influential centre-back Vincent Kompany is looking to take part in Belgium World Cup qualifier against Macedonia, despite Mancini’s reluctance to risk his player.

Kompany has been on the sidelines since January with a calf injury, however he could be included into the first XI for the World Cup qualifying double-header against Macedonia. Belgium assistant head coach Vital Borkelmans revealed no decision has been made as to whether the 26-year-old centre-back will play however emphasized he is an important player for both his country and the club.

He said: “Vincent is now training with the physical coach. He also trained very hard at City. He is very important for the group and we are quite happy he is here. We will make a decision on Wednesday or Thursday whether he can play or not. We talk many times with the coach [at City] but Vincent is very important to us. He is the captain of the team.”

Last week Mancini did not wish to risk Kompany in the game against Everton, which resulted in a 2-0 defeat. He also expected Kompany to sit on the bench during the World Cup qualifier. The Italian revealed: “We don’t want to take a risk at this moment because we have one game and then it is the international break so it’s best he is recovering. The calf is a dangerous injury. If you don’t recover very well then you can have a problem for four, five or six weeks in a row.”