Hart: Kompany will come back better than ever

Joe Hart has thrown his support behind out-of-favour Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, who was omitted from the starting line-up midweek.

Kompany was dropped to the bench for City’s 2-0 victory over Leicester City on Wednesday, with manager Manuel Pellegrini later claiming he sought to “refresh” the Premier League champions.

The Belgium international’s omission came on the back of questionable performances in losses against Liverpool, and Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.

Pellegrini has refused to confirm whether Kompany will be reinstated for City’s next fixture against Burnley on March 14.

But Hart, who is no stranger to losing his spot in the team having been replaced by understudy Willy Caballero at various stages throughout Pellegrini’s tenure, believes Kompany will benefit from his axing.

“Vinny appreciates, same as we all do, that sometimes the manager will change the squad,” said England number one Hart. “There’s no-one destined to play every single game – I’ve learned that lesson.

“Vinny’s an unbelievable player, one of the best I have ever played with, and this was his night off.

“I’m sure he will be back in the team again with that captain’s armband, being one of the best defenders in world football.

“It was how it went for me [being dropped]. That was my path at that time – you have to make the best of it, and I like to think I’ve done that.”