Hughes praises VK

There's quite an interesting interview with Mark Hughes on mcfctv.com this weekend. There's some general stuff about the need to gel and how our January buys have improved the team but then quite a good bit about Vincent Kompany:

Yeah we've been delighted with him. I think people forget he's a young man as well, he's only twenty two, and he's got a really old head on his shoulders, and a lot of experience for the amount of years he's been in the game. He's got a real presence, he's a big guy, but he has a sense of leadership about him as well. He takes on that mantle very easily, and on occassions obviously when Dunney hasn't been available he's come in and been a very good captain for us. And given his age I think that shows the quality of the player and the person. So he's had a real impact in his first season and he's only going to get better.

I think Kompany's been one of the big finds of the season, and at £6million represents fantastic business. He's faded a bit in recent months - the toe injury looks like a symptom of general wear and tear. Kompany has started thirty six games this season, which is a lot for anyone's first season in English football but even more given his recent injury problems: he played eighteen Bundesliga games in 2007/08 and only six in 2006/07. We may see him increasingly rested in the league (because we really need him for the UEFA Cup) but his overall contribution this year has been excellent. Next season could well be epic for him.