Kompany fit for crunch Spurs clash

Manchester City have been handed a major boost by the return to fitness of Vincent Kompany ahead of the crucial Premier League match against Tottenham on Sunday.

City’s influential captain has been blighted by injury this term and a persistent calf problem has limited him to just eight starts in the league.

His latest attempted comeback, off the bench in the 71st minute of a 4-1 victory against Sunderland in December, lasted just nine minutes before he suffered a recurrence of the issue.

However, the Belgium centre-back has trained well and is in contention to face third-placed Spurs at Etihad Stadium, according to Manuel Pellegrini.

“We’ll see what the starting XI is – we’re not just thinking about one player and one game, we’re involved in a lot of competitions. Maybe we have a lot of criticism when we don’t play well but I’m happy with the squad over the whole season,” the manager told a news conference.

“You’ve seen Kompany play for so many years I don’t have to say what qualities he brings, he’s one of the best defenders in the league.

“Every player must play a game when they’re 100 per cent. Vincent has worked for three weeks with no problems. He played 45 minutes in a friendly game against the Under-21s and I think he’s ready to play.”

However, full-back Bacary Sagna (knee) and Fabian Delph (ankle) have joined a lengthy City injury list.

“Sagna, [Eliaquim] Mangala, Delph, [Samir] Nasri, [Jesus] Navas, [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Wilfried] Bony are out,” Pellegrini said.

“Bacary had last week a problem in his knee – some liquid in his knee. He needs an injection and one week at least to return to work.

“Delph is worse as he has a problem with his Achilles tendon. He needs six or seven weeks to recover.

“It’s difficult with so many injuries in the same position. Unfortunately, that’s part of the season and we must try to manage with the players we have.”

City go into the clash with Spurs in fourth place, six points behind Leicester City after losing 3-1 at home to the league leaders last time out.