Kompany impressed with Pellegrini

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is impressed after training under Manuel Pellegrini for the first time.

The 2012 Premier League champions are set to jet off to South Africa this week as they gear up their attempts to reclaim the title from neighbours Manchester United.

And after working under the Chilean for the first time at their Carrington base on Monday, Kompany is excited by what he has seen of the former Malaga boss.

“I think all of us have done some preparation work during the holidays because the guys look very sharp after a long break, so that’s great,” he told the club’s official website.

“It was also nice to start work with the new manager and I think his approach with the team was really good.

“It’s important now to try and improve on the last campaign and make sure that whatever the new manager brings in, that we try and make it our own as quick as possible.”

City ended last season empty-handed as they were unable to match United’s relentless march to the title and were beaten by Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup final.

Despite competition for silverware being fierce, the Belgian is determined to get back to winning ways this term.

“We’re at a big club, so the only goal we can have is to win trophies. There’s about six or seven clubs in England alone in this situation, so it will be very competitive,” he declared.

“Our objective this year is to win things and to play well together. We all know that we have to be very strong as a team and bond with each other.

“It’s an important year for everyone; we have a lot to put right after last season and internationally it’s a World Cup year, so there are so many reasons to perform well.

“We’ve got the squad to do that, but a lot of hard work needs to be done first.”