Manuel Pellegrini dismisses Belgian concerns about Vincent Kompany
Friday 8 April 2016 15:03, UK
Manuel Pellegrini is "not concerned" about Belgium boss Marc Wilmots' comments about Vincent Kompany.
The Manchester City skipper, who has struggled with a persistent calf problem this season, has not played since injuring his knee against Dynamo Kiev on March 15. Wilmots is concerned another injury could rule the Belgium and City captain out of the Euro 2016 finals.
Pellegrini refused to rule out fielding Kompany in next Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second-leg against Paris St Germain which is finely poised at 2-2.
Pellegrini's stance is at odds with his Belgium counterpart, who has insisted earlier that the 29-year-old would not risk his fitness by playing again this season with Euro 2016 on the horizon.
Wilmots said: "Vincent Kompany suffered a calf tear, which means he will need five to eight weeks to return. I spoke to him on the phone. He has huge desire. We'll see him on 16 May."
But Pellegrini, speaking at his news conference ahead of Saturday's match with West Brom, which is live on Sky Sports, insisted he - and not Wilmots - would decide when Kompany returns to action.
"I am not thinking about the PSG second leg - I am just thinking about Vincent improving," he said. "He's not working with the squad at the moment, so we will see next week how many more days he needs.
"I'm always positive. I am not concerned about Belgium's opinion."
This is not the first time the influential central defender has been caught in a club vs country dispute.
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In October, Kompany was named in Belgium's squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Andorra and Israel, despite him having been out since September after picking up an injury against Juventus, and Pellegrini saying he could not play.
In 2013, Pellegrini's predecessor Roberto Mancini criticised Wilmots for playing Kompany against Macedonia after he returned from a two-month injury absence
Pellegrini confirmed that David Silva would miss the West Brom match because of an ankle injury and is unsure when the Spaniard would return.
"The squad will not involve David Silva. He has a problem in his ankle," Pellegrini said. "David is a small problem. He has played with this pain in a lot of games but to repeat it after three days is very difficult.
"I don't think he will need surgery. It's a kick he received while with his national team that, unfortunately for him, he cannot recover 100 per cent from. He plays with some pain, but not too much. When the season finishes he will recover 100 per cent."
And after last weekend's 4-0 demolition of Bournemouth, Pellegrini is demanding more of the same against the Baggies, insisting their Premier League title bid is not over.
"I am hoping the reaction will be the same as last week. Against Bournemouth we could be thinking about the Champions League but we played well and won the game," he said.
"The players will be focused on what we need to do, which is to gain three points here at home. It's a big game against West Brom. All the teams around us play each other so it's important not to drop points here at home."
