When Vincent Kompany took over at Bayern Munich, Matthjis de Ligt was held up as one of Bayern’s best performers of the previous season while Dayot Upamecano had lost his starting spot during the crucial
run of the season to surprise replacement Eric Dier. It seemed for all the world as if Upamecano was out on the fringes in Munich.
Then in came Vincent Kompany. He insisted on keeping the Frenchman and made him his first choice center back. 18 months later, the Belgian coach was asked to reflect on the way Upamecano has developed in his 18 months in charge in the wake of reports that the center back had renewed his expiring contract.
“I didn’t know Upa before; we’ve now worked together for 18 months. I thought his initial level was very good,” Kompany confided, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “He’s always been a leader for me, and he’s becoming more and more so. He’s shown the most development on the ball in the past 18 months. He’s very progressive in his game and plays forward. Upa is a player who can develop into one of the best defenders in the world. There are some more steps he needs to take, and we’re taking them together.”
Who knew Upamecano would make this kind of leap under Kompany? Certainly, the player’s agent will thank him for it.
