Manchester City manager Manuel Pellerini has hinted that captain Vincent Kompany will not return to his starting line-up for Sunday s derby against Manchester United.
Kompany suffered a calf injury during City s Champions League defeat to Juventus in September and went against his manager s wishes in returning to action for Belgium s Euro 2012 qualifier against Israel, despite missing all five of his club s matches in the intervening period.
Following this month s international break, Kompany looked on as an unused substitute when City beat AFC Bournemouth 5-1 and only came on in injury time against La Liga side Sevilla following Kevin De Bruyne s late winner on Wednesday.
At a pre-match media conference ahead of the top-of-the-table clash at Old Trafford, Pellegrini offered his latest assurances that there are no problems between himself and Kompany – maintaining his stance that the defender s omission relates to him being short of full fitness.
However, he praised the form of incumbent centre-back duo Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi and said he would pick the best players for the moment .
I don’t have a problem with Vincent, Pellegrini said. Every week I choose the starting XI that’s best for that game.
Other players must wait. It s exactly the same for all the players.
I m not punishing Vincent. I have no problems in my relations with Vincent.
After one month, five weeks without playing [or] training you must be fit. It is important to work some days before return to the team.
He added: It s crucial to play with the best players for the moment. Football is moments – now, Mangala and Otamendi are doing well.
Pellegrini confirmed that there would be no alteration to a significant list of injury absentees for the 170th Manchester derby – with influential playmaker David Silva (ankle), remaining on the sidelines alongside Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri, Fabian Delph (all hamstring) and Gael Clichy (ankle).
The Chilean pushed free-scoring midfielder De Bruyne into a centre-forward role during the closing stages against Sevilla – an ultimately inspired switch, which he believes underlines City s capacity to cope amid reduced attacking options.
We can play in different ways and we can win, Pellegrini added. Kevin De Bruyne is not a striker but he could play as a striker if we need him to.
Last season we had a lot of different ways to play – when our strikers were injured, we played with [James] Milner [in attack] and scored goals.
