After the news broke last night that Cristiano Ronaldo would be leaving Manchester United by mutual consent, Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany wasted no time in taking a dig at the club's rival, Manchester United.
The fallout from Ronaldo's explosive interview with Piers Morgan last week reached its inevitable conclusion when the two parties agreed to go their separate ways. In the interview, Ronaldo stated that he didn't respect United manager Erik ten Hag and claimed that he himself was being disrespected. Ronaldo also claimed that he was the one being disrespected.
When United's legendary attacker returned to Old Trafford 15 months ago, after being poached from under City's noses, United greeted him with open arms and rolled out the red carpet for him. You could say that City are the ones who are laughing now, and it's no surprise that their former captain, Kompany, wanted in on the fun.
Kompany appeared as one of the commentators during the live coverage that BBC Sport provided of France's 4-1 victory over Australia at the World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday evening. The panel, which included Gary Lineker, Didier Drogba, and Alan Shearer, discussed the latest information regarding Ronaldo during the halftime break.
When asked if the best thing for everyone involved is for Ronaldo to leave, Kompany responded: "I believe that in the end, everyone loses, with the possible exception of the manager of Manchester United. I believe that the issue has been resolved, and that they will proceed from this point onward."
Lineker then asked Kompany, whose Burnley side is currently atop the Championship table halfway through his first season as head coach, if he would consider signing free agent Ronaldo. Kompany's Burnley side is currently enjoying the best start to a season in the club's history.
After hearing this, Kompany retorted, "You know, we need players who can run." Although it was obvious that he was joking with his response (he couldn't help but smile), it did bring to light one of the primary problems that has contributed to Ronaldo's failure to succeed at United. It has been demonstrated that he is unwilling to do the off-the-ball running that is necessary for a team that wants to effectively press opponents. This is something that Kompany's own team is very good at doing. He has shown this unwillingness under three different managers.
Even if Kompany was only trying to be truthful, City supporters are going to be overjoyed that their captain took a jab at their rival.
