Football
ESPN staff 8y

Pep Guardiola: Vincent Kompany must prove fitness to have Man City future

Vincent Kompany's future at Manchester City future will be determined by whether or not he can prove his fitness to new manager Pep Guardiola.

Kompany, 30, managed only 26 appearances for City last season because of recurring injuries and missed Belgium's Euro 2016 campaign due to a groin problem suffered during the Champions League semifinal second leg against Real Madrid in May.

Guardiola praised Kompany's ability as a player, but stressed the City captain must overcome the problems that have plagued him over the past decade.

"What do I think about Kompany? People in England knows his quality, maybe better than me," Guardiola said. "My dream for Vincent Kompany is to be fit.

"We cannot ask about Kompany, in the last two years he's played not too many games. To be fit [is his goal]. We cannot talk about the other point.

"The captain has a lot of experience, he's a magnificent central defender but he has to be fit. I spoke with him and told him to focus on his body. Forget about the other things. Just focus on recovering and to come back to what you were in the past with your physical condition. After that Vincent will decide for himself and show again his quality."

Guardiola also spoke about the future of Yaya Toure, saying "I count on him," but appeared to leave the door open for the veteran midfielder's departure.

"I know Yaya from a long time," Guardiola said. "He did very, very well in Barcelona and here as well. He's a huge, huge talent and of course all the players who are here right now count on me.

"After that we're going to see what's happening in the future. Not just in the case of Yaya but the other players too. But Yaya is here, I count on him."

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