The inside story of Vincent Kompany the manager as Burnley prepare for Man City test

Vincent Kompany arrived at Manchester City something of a manager in the making.

He was always a deep thinker, highly intelligent, driven and determined and, when paired with Pep Guardiola, his coaching desire and understanding developed further.

It's therefore perhaps no surprise to see him succeeding as he is at Burnley, who visit the Etihad in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. The Belgian speaks five languages, completed a master's degree while still a player and has introduced a style and a set-up on and off the pitch at Turf Moor which naturally leads to 'mini Man City' comparisons.

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The Etihad influence is evident. Kompany walked into Burnley in the aftermath of relegation and the sales of a series of star players. He delved straight in, often pulling long hours and is regularly first in and last out of the Clarets' Gawthorpe training ground.

He's overseen a revolution of playing staff and playing style. The rewards have been transformative. Burnley have lost just twice in the Championship this season and are a matter of weeks away from joining City in the top flight. Master against apprentice will be a tantalising fixture next term.

Kompany has spoken a lot about City this week, having gone out of his way to avoid questions about his former club for much of his time in charge in Lancashire. His focus has been on the job at hand.

He leaves no stone unturned, he has regular meetings with staff and players which are detail focussed. His sessions are fresh and the former City skipper makes time for one-on-one chats with his players, either on the training pitch or in his office. While that all might seem