Thursday, 14th August, 2014
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany feels young English players should be open to playing abroad to test their skills.
Kompany started his career at Anderlecht before moving to Hamburg in 2006. He joined Manchester City in 2008 and captained the side to Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014.
The Manchester City captain stressed that Anderlecht played a crucial role in his development and a gradual progression to bigger and better leagues was the right method for him.
"What has made my development is not the fact that I started in the Premier League at 17 or 18 because it's not realistic", Kompany was quoted as saying by ITV. "It's the most competitive league in the world.
"I started at Anderlecht at 17 and played Champions League at 17 and moved on when I was 20.”
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He further added that young English players should open their minds and test themselves in leagues outside England as that will help them to add extra dimensions to their game.
"If you ask a kid at 17 to go play in League One or go and play in the first division in Holland, 90 per cent will want to play in League One.
“But it's a different type of football to what is required for the Premier League. Open the borders in your head."
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