Is Manchester City skipper set for limp into the Etihad sunset?
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He’s been the bedrock of Manchester City success in the recent past, but how many more comebacks Vincent Kompany has left in him must now be up for debate.
Thirty is the new 25 for top-level pros these days, especially where defenders are concerned, but it would appear that Kompany’s 30-year-old limbs have failed to pick up the memo.
Over the last two seasons particularly City’s double Premier League-winning skipper has been forced to sit out large swathes due to a range of reoccurring injuries involving his hamstrings, calves and groin.
The Belgian managed just 14 top-flight appearances last season and 25 the term before that.
The latest groin injury sustained right at the end of the 2015/16 campaign took the whole summer to properly heal and City fans waited with bated breath for his latest comeback at Swansea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately for the centre-half it proved to be an all-too familiar tale. Having asserted himself well for the whole 90 minutes of the 2-1 win at the Liberty Stadium, Kompany ended up heading for the tunnel before the final whistle had actually blown.
His manager Pep Guardiola had this to say: “I didn’t see. Once they scored the goal, after I said: ‘What happened?’ They said that Vincent had gone to the locker room, hopefully it will not be a big problem. We will have to wait. The doctors are speaking with him and seeing what’s up.”
If the last few years are anything to go by, the Spaniard will probably fear the worst for his club captain.
It would be a genuine shame if a great player like Kompany is forced to reconsider his playing days due to injuries, but with the likes of John Stones now established in the side and Guardiola bringing fresh ideas to the Etihad, there’s a possibility City’s iconic defender will hobble into early retirement.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
