Once again, Vincent Kompany missed a Manchester City game because of a ‘medical problem’.
That’s as far as the club were willing to go with their explanation, and this has caused a bit of annoyance over in his home country, as these constant difficulties to remain healthy are a worry ahead of the World Cup in Russia.
If fully fit, there’s little doubt Roberto Martinez will pick the Manchester City captain in his squad for the international tournament, and so he should.
However, there will always be that fear of the defender getting injured a few days into the competition with no possibility of bringing in a replacement.
Furthermore, it’s the mystery behind his absence that is difficult to understand, leading to the belief it could be more serious than just a niggle.
Debating the matter in DH’s podcast Le Grand Debrief, Alex Teklak said: “Every time it’s the same thing. You never know what’s wrong with him. Ever since they agreed on doing it that way, that’s what they’ve done. Guardiola obviously knows what’s wrong with Kompany.
“They probably have their reasons. It was only West Ham, so it wasn’t crucial that he missed that game, but, obviously, looking at the World Cup… Obviously for Manchester City, it’s over, other than breaking a few more records. It’s a bit worrying, but I can’t say much more, because there’s that mystery looming over everything”.
While centre-back isn’t exactly a weakness for his national with Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in the team, everyone in Belgium would like Martinez to have the best squad at his disposal.
With a wealth of talent to choose from, this is probably their best chance of going extremely far in an international competition, and there’s a feeling they could pull off an upset.
For that, however, they can’t have injured veterans in their 23, and we’ll have to wait and see what Martinez makes of Kompany’s absence when he chooses his squad for the competition in the coming weeks.
