Vincent Kompany insists he has no regrets over his decision to dump Andros Townsend and leave the former England midfielder in tears.
Townsend claims he broke down when Kompany turned down his offer of a one-year contract in August because he did not want him to impede the development of his new, younger players.
The former Tottenham winger, who was released by Everton in July after being sidelined since March 2022 with a major knee injury, returns to Turf Moor tonight with Luton, and Kompany believes his decision benefited everyone.
Townsend, 32, has thrived at Luton, earning a new longer-term contract at the beginning of this month, while Kompany is pleased with the development of Luca Koleosho, Wilson Odobert, and Jacob Bruun Larsen.
“There are absolutely none,” said the Burnley boss, when asked if he had any regrets. “You have to have regrets if you’re doing things for the wrong reason. It’s difficult and you don’t know how the player himself is ever going to process it.
“In the end, all we do is try and be as truthful as we can be. So we didn’t play games with it, the contract was there because we had a short-term need. And the moment that Koleosho and these other guys came in and performed the way they did, we let him know this was probably not the right move.
“But things always work out for people with his mentality and he’s ended up at a club where hopefully he can add many years to his career. I think that was ultimately the goal for him and that’s a good thing for him.”
Kompany believes it would have been inappropriate to keep Townsend on the bench at Burnley when he was desperate to play in the Premier League.
Townsend has one goal and two assists in 11 top-flight outings for Luton, and Kompany believes he made the correct decision by joining them.
“You know there’s no point in bringing in a senior player who was working the way he was, just to stall him,” the coach added. “I think him having the option to play for Luton is the right option for his career and I explained that to him.”
Luton lead Burnley by four points with a game in hand in their relegation six-pointer, and Kompany thinks he enjoys playing under pressure.
He urges his players to enjoy them as well, saying, “I hope we appreciate pressure and want to be in a pressure atmosphere; otherwise, what kind of career is it if you don’t play under pressure?
“Last year, we competed for promotion against each other; there was pressure to enter the most expensive, but also the most rewarding, league in the world.” I couldn’t fathom this work without these kinds of games.”
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