Vincent Kompany faces pressure test in landmark return to Manchester City

It all began, in a roundabout sort of way, with a groin injury. A few minutes into the second leg of Manchester City’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, Vincent Kompany lunged awkwardly, felt a pop near the top of his right leg and knew what it meant. He would miss the rest of the season. He would miss Belgium’s Euro 2016 campaign. Most worryingly of all, he would be injured for the arrival of a man he was keen to impress: City’s new manager Pep Guardiola.

In a sense, the qualities that helped Kompany navigate a two- decade career were the same qualities that made him such a peerless defender: a razor-sharp instinct for danger, the ability to intuit threats and convert them into opportunities.

John Stones was about to sign for almost £50m and Kompany knew that for all he had achieved, City’s bright new dawn held no guarantees for an injury-prone 30-year-old centre-half about to play under one of the world’s most demanding coaches. So as he impatiently chugged through his gym and rehab sessions, he made a promise to himself. He was going to go back to school.

Over those summer and autumn weeks, Kompany started scouting his new manager as thoroughly as he would any opponent. He made sure he was in every team meeting, even the ones he was not required to attend. He was on the sidelines at every training session, making a mental note of the drills. He spoke extensively to Guardiola’s staff to find out what made him tick. By the time he was finally ready to play again, he would later joke, he understood Guardiola’s methods better than Guardiola himself.

In the short term, it worked. Deeply impressed by Kompany’s commitment, Guardiola would repay it with his own, giving his captain the time and confidence to win