Once the homecoming was confirmed, Pep Guardiola did not offer Vincent Kompany much wiggle room. Burnley’s season, he said, had been ‘unbelievable’ – which is fair enough, it has - before then venturing that Kompany’s ‘destiny’ is to become Manchester City’s manager.
‘Sooner or later,’ Guardiola said. ‘It’s going to happen.’ Whether Kompany thanks his old boss for the very definite endorsement is another matter entirely. City firmly earmarked Patrick Vieira once and look what happened there.
That is for further down the road and for now, there are more immediate matters to attend.